THE owners of a donkey killed in the New Forest have put reflective stickers on their other animals to try to prevent another tragedy.

Jo-Jo, one of 16 donkeys owned by Rob and Genette Byford, was hit by a car just weeks after starring in a road safety event.

One of their other donkeys was involved in a similar accident on the same stretch of road on Sunday evening but survived.

Now glow-in-the-dark stickers that aim to reflect car headlights have been attached to the couple's other animals, including Jo-Jo's mother Doll, in a bid to make them more visible at night.

Adult ponies and donkeys in the Forest are often fitted with reflective collars, but they could strangle a young animal that is still growing.

Genette, of Tile Barn Lane, Brockenhurst, said Jo-Jo had belonged to her two-year-old grandson Sam Cook.

She added: “I know people don't go out to kill or injure animals on purpose but it's barbaric.

“I've had a number of donkeys and ponies run over and it's heart-breaking every time. People just don't think about animals being there.”

Genette referred to the large number of hit-and-run accidents that occur in the Forest, many of which result in animals lying in agony for several hours before they are found and humanely destroyed.

“People should call someone straight away so the animal can either be saved or put out of its misery,” she said.

About 70 animals are killed in the Forest every year, according to the National Park Authority.

A spokesman said; “The majority of accidents involve local people, many of whom become complacent as they go about their daily business.

“We are again appealing to drivers to be more careful.

“Everyone should drive knowing there might be an animal on the road ahead.

“They have the road sense of a two-year-old so drivers should be ready to stop in animal steps into the road at the last minute.”

As reported in the Daily Echo, six-month-old Jo-Jo was killed by a car in Sway Road, Brockenhurst, on November 26, two months after appearing at the Drivesafe event at Brockenhurst College.

Her frantic mother Doll had to be rounded up to prevent her running into the path of other cars.