A dark Satanic cult has been blamed for the death of a pony which was horrifically mutilated in a ring of fire during a full moon.
Police are investigating after the young male animal had its genitals and right ear sliced off and tongue and eyes cut out - possibly while it was still alive.
Its belly has been hacked open and the pony also had traces of white paint on one of its legs - suggesting it was killed as part of a bizarre ceremony.
It was also surrounded by circular patches of burnt moorland - which experts believe were left by a ring of torches or candles.
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The two-month old pony seemed to have been dragged into a clearing and placed at the foot of a slope to face the previous night's full moon.
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Karla McKechnie, Dartmoor's Livestock Protection Officer, said she feared devil worshippers were behind the ritualistic horse killing.
"We do get strange things happening from time to time, normally when its a full moon.
"I've come across strange circles in the ground, boulders used as altars, that sort of thing, but thankfully animal mutilations are rare.
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"My main concern is how someone has been able to walk up to a foal and kill it in the middle of the night. I'm almost certain more than one person was involved."
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In 2006 around 100 sheep animals were found slaughtered with their tongues, eyes and sexual organs removed on Dartmoor.
The bodies had been arranged in a Satanic star shape, known as a pentangle, or laid out in a circle with their necks broken.
In June of this year police appealed for information after two horses were found with "gaping" knife wounds in neighbouring fields in the village of Stokeinteignhead, Devon.
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