Letter: Inhuman man

Caroline McManus (Letters, 17 January) alleges that the Scottish Government has been thirled to the interests of the "huntin', shootin', fishin' lobby", which regards wildlife in Scotland as existing simply to be shot and trapped to provide "sport" by land-owners.

This attitude is certainly not consistent with the tone of the published policy for the environment of the SNP at the time of the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

The fact that domestic dogs, cats and badgers can be caught and entangled by wire traps intended for foxes is beside the point. Wire traps reflect a kind of barbarism which belongs with dog-fighting and badger-baiting in another age.

It beggars belief that within an SNP government it is now seen as a legitimate function of the minister of the environment to promote and defend the use of such devices.

(Dr) David Purves

Strathalmond Road

Edinburgh