Letter: Animal sense

Ian Flintoff is being a little simplistic if he thinks that we only preserve predators for reasons of altruism (Letters, 14 July).

We preserve these species in order to maintain the biosphere for reasons of our own survival. Without having a rich diversity of wildlife, the ecological system starts to break down, bringing on possibly catastrophic effects on our ability to inhabit this small planet. True, this is a different way of thinking from other animals, but it is still ultimately selfish in strict terms of competition and adaptation.

Stephen Dolphin

dolphin@delphis.demon.co.uk