Letter: Poisoned hounds

Sir: Some years ago, in my early days as a hunt saboteur, I was told by a hunt follower that one of the hounds had been poisoned. I approached the vehicle where the hound was being restrained and asked if it was really ill. Being taken for a hunt supporter, I was told that it was all right really, but that they wanted to get rid of the "antis" by accusing them of poisoning the hounds.

Now it may well be that the dogs from the Tredegar Farmers' Pack had been poisoned ("Saboteurs accused of poisoning", 27 December), perhaps by eating a contaminated carcass, or poison put down to kill so-called pests, but whatever the case, it would most certainly not have been caused by hunt saboteurs. We go out with the express purpose of saving lives, and we are driven by compassion, an emotion which those whose pastime is to chase an animal to exhaustion and then see it torn to pieces in the name of sport may find difficult to comprehend.

JULIE ROXBURGH

Leatherhead, Surrey