JAMES Barrington, the hunting apologist consultant for the Countryside Alliance, has twice appeared in these pages, April 28 and May 15, making the claim that hunting foxes with hounds was no different to the natural hunting techniques employed by wolves. He states that this is scientific fact.

If we are to believe this then I assume he must possess evidence which demonstrates that wolves spend the night before a hunt blocking up earths so that the quarry cannot do what comes naturally — which is to dive down a hole.

If a hunted fox should find a refuge then we must believe, on the Barrington analogy, that wolves carry around with them spades and shovels and that they employ these tools in digging out their chosen quarry after it has hidden undergound — remarkable!

Mr Barrington's wolves also evidently train a miniature wolf to go into the earth for them to determine where the quarry is hiding — astonishing!

But he persists in his claim — it's all natural — hunting with hounds/wolf packs. So wolves deliberately starve themselves the day before hunting so that they will be more conducive to hunt, do they?

There is more — if one equates hounds with wolves then the Barrington wolves have collectively decided to be deliberately slower than their quarry. What on earth for?

You really are desperate to be seen to be toeing the hunting line, aren't you Mr Barrington?

You trot out these arguments having accepted the Countryside Alliance's shilling and you parade your transition from anti to pro-hunt supporter as if this gives your views more credence.

You more than most should know all about the digging out of foxes, the bolting of foxes and the location of artificial earths in some hunting country to encourage foxes for the purpose of hunting.

All these practices have taken place as part of hunting with hounds, not to mention the despicable practice of cub-hunting — intended to train young foxhounds in the art of killing.

That you should chose to turn your back on the wild animals which you once championed and make feeble excuses for the killing of them for sport is nothing short of shameful. That you should try to harness nature itself for your arguments is beyond even that.

Dr John P Salvatore

Exeter

(by email)