SIR: In his bizarre tirade against the recent attempt to outlaw the hunting of wild mammals with packs of dogs, 'Colin' was economical with the facts (BEN, April 14).

Colin (no surname) believes that the legislation put forward by Labour MP Mike Foster to protect wild mammals was poorly drafted. He cites what he believes to be the problem of differentiating in law between a 'dog' and a 'bitch'. Upon this basis Colin believes that it was a "disgrace" to put the proposed Bill before Parliament.

Clearly Colin saw the television coverage of Tory MPs scuppering the Bill by tabling a series of amendments asking whether the legislation also applied to "bitches". Apparently the Tory Party finds it amusing that wild mammals such as foxes and deer can be chased, savaged, and then ripped to pieces by packs of hunting dogs, simply for the perverted pleasure of a declining number of dim-witted vandals who have respect neither for wildlife nor basic decency.

I can only suggest to Colin that he invests in a good dictionary which would have saved him (and me!) the trouble of penning our respective letters. According to the Oxford Reference Dictionary, a dog is "a four-legged carnivorous animal of the genus Canis". "Dog" refers to the generic species classification. A "bitch" is not an animal in its own right. It is a female dog.

I am sure that the Tory MPs who used such tactics to kill off the Anti-Hunting Bill recognised the distinction. It is a pity that Colin was so easily fooled!

Kevin Meagher

Hereford Crescent

Little Lever

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