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Protection of Animals
Sir.-Everyone with a sense of respon-
sibility towards animals must be grate-
ful that the bill to amend tho Cruelty
to Animals Act has boon sympathetically
received by members. But it is most
regrettable that the provision for the
daily inspection of traps and snares
should have boen amended to apply to
rabbits only, making It 4S hours for
other gama, weather permitting, and tho
maximum penally reduced from £5 to
£3,
Xo more traps or snares should be set
than can be visited dally. Thoso who
set them should feel bound in common
humanity, to lose somo time or money
by visiting them often. If dally inspec-
tion is not practicable, then these bar-
barous,' primitive methods of catching
animals should bo prohibited, and thoso
using them heavily lined. All animals
caught thus arc In. torture: . *, '
Let anyouo with thc pluck to do it
snap a rabbit trap on to his hand ¡md
see with what fortitude he bears the
pain! Should it not. bo considered
cowardly and contemptible, to indict
such frightful suffering on helpless ani-
mals, when human beings so quickly cry
out'at pain? Would these methods bo
so universally used If tho animals could
retaliate, and it meant much danger 'to
ourselves? I um afraid not.
We have no right to catch or kill tiny
animals, pests or otherwise, excepting
by ways that cause thc minimum of suf-
fering and bring (inmediato death. Why
this, distinction between cruelty to wild
or to domesticated animals? lt is as
wrong to torture :i wild animal as to
torture a racehorse. This is not a
sentimental nor an extreme view, but the
plainest justice. There is no excuse
for this cruelty.. Everyone is directly
rcsponsiblo for the animals within his
power - everyone is indirectly respon-
sible for them all. lt Is to our great
shame that with all the marvellous in-
ventions for our own benefit, it seems
lhere is nul a single humane trap for
even the middle-sized animals, and
those for small rodents are often unre-
liable.
These wild animals that feel pain
acutely are doomed at our hands to ex-
treme pain, and tho awful tortures of
hunger and thirst. This animal suffer-
ing goes on day and iflght throughout
the year, while we go about our work
and pleasure rarely thinking of lt,
When will it be considered a great
wrong and true protection given them";
PLAIN JUSTICE.
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