Letter: Slaughter of foxes

Sir: I do not doubt the sincerity of your correspondent (26 November) who maintains that, as the planet's "supposedly superior species", we should only ever take animal life for "environmental" reasons, and even then ensure that we take no pleasure in doing so. Yet such views do not confer a monopoly on morality or respect for the natural world.

Rural people tend to be more in touch with nature than their urban cousins. The same is true of rural cultures. In a strict sense, no member of Inuit society needs to hunt seals today - certainly not for "environmental" reasons - so should we tolerate such "uncivilised" behaviour? I think we should.

On Christmas Day I shall sit down with my family to enjoy the pleasant ritual of devouring a turkey, a bird that is reared to be killed to provide recreational food. Should I eschew such a barbaric glorification of death - or would it be enough merely to order that nobody enjoys the lunch?

ALASDAIR MITCHELL

Stocksfield,

Northumberland