Sir, I was dismayed to read in your paper the recent full page feature on the activities of the local hunting community. While I applaud they are doing their bit for charity, I find this hard to reconcile with the act of killing other beings. I assume it wasn't a drag hunt, maybe someone can confirm. At a time when many of the world's species face extinction because they too are deemed 'pests', I wish to send out a plea to the hunters of this world. Can we not extend goodwill and compassion to those in this world who are hunted this Christmas? I envisage a day when I can open your paper and see the next generation dressed smartly, sitting on their ponies and being given prizes at a 'drag' hunt where cruelty and violence are shunned and we reward, celebrate and teach our children that killing animals for sport is unacceptable. We are custodians of this planet and all the beings that live on it and we can all make a difference at local level by refusing to hunt and kill and instilling these values in our children, the next generation. If the hunting community care about charity, might they not, as a gesture of goodwill, hold a sponsored drag hunt and give the money to the RSPCA or the WWF extinct TV event, whose work often involves combating the harm hunting does? I for one would support and sponsor such an event, as I am sure would many others. So that is my plea this Christmas to all of you who hunt. Please consider doing a charity drag hunt. An event where no creature suffers and the money raised would help relieve suffering in others, whether it be human or otherwise. Helen Morgan, St. Florence.
