CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25309, 8 October 1947, Page 8

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Sir.— A correspondent suggests that the boy who was reported to have killed a pup by screwing its neck should be expelled from school. Why set on to this child so viciously? Would this correspondent ostracise from human society all those coldblooded fiends who mutilate pigeons and sparrows for so-called sport, or the louts who shoot deer and wild pigs just for fun. or the farmer who allows pigs to freeze all winter in a wet sty? The arch fiend of all Is the angler, who boasts of the time it took to “play” a fish hooked in the throat and then displays his struggling victim still hanging on the hooks. Killing from grim necessity cannot be avoided, and is usually done as mercifully as possible; but the socalled “blood sports” are truly diabolical.—Yours, etc.. E. K. BANFIELD. Rangiora. October 6, 1947.

Sir, —Now that we have the full facts of the recent case in which a boy was reported to have killed a dog, and which caused S 9 many would-be huuqanitarians to hold up one hand in plbus horror while assailing these columns with the other in a most revengeful and unchristian manner. I trust that in future they will hesitate to rush to print on half the facts, and that humility and the thought of their own judgment some day may cause them to apologise to the boy concerned through your columns. After all, how many of them are vegetarians, or would hesitate to shoot rabbits or ducks, or kill flies, rats, mice, fleas, lice or any other useful animals, pests or vermin when they found it convenient to do so.—Yours, etc.. C.B.M. October 7. 1947. [“How Prevent Cruelty” may exercise right of reply; otherwise, this correspondence is closed. —Ed., "The Press.” 1