'Mutilated' pony died of natural causes before being mauled by wild animals, police reveal
A PONY that police suspected had been mutilated actually died of natural causes, a vet has confirmed.
The 12-year-old Shetland pony named Jasper was found dead in its paddock near Kensington Road in Salisbury on October 14.
Its severe injuries led police to suspect it had been maimed by a person with a knife.
The animal's carcass was sent for analysis and the vet found it had died of natural causes.
The wounds were caused by other animals after the pony had died.
A police spokesman said: "It was important to make the public/other owners aware of the facts of the incident at the time so we could gather any information and they could ensure their animals were secured."
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