IT was fascinating to read that people were immediately upset at the culling of 300 ravens ("Feathers ruffled at plans to cull ravens", The Herald April 24). It has been the case that our land has been actively managed for at least 5,000 years and part of that has been the control of certain predator species.
Currently it is very obvious that there is a dearth of small garden birds and the situation is getting worse year on year. It is not difficult to identify one of the main culprits, namely, the magpie. The sound of songbirds has been replaced by the harsh call of magpies and yesterday there were seven magpies on my neighbour's roof. I have witnessed their rapid increase along with watching them destroy nests, eggs and chicks of other garden birds. Mention the idea of controlling them and immediately the animal rights lobby springs to their defence.
The use of inaccurate and intemperate language by these "defenders" of birds was clearly demonstrated by Bernard Zonfrillo (Letters, April 25). He finds it acceptable to make unsubstantiated exaggerations and apportion fantasy motivation to justify his criticism of Scottish Natural Heritage.We must not let such prejudice of such people allow the destruction of certain wildlife out of a desire for social engineering.
David Stubley,
22 Templeton Crescent,
Prestwick.
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