Why we need to stop eating animals
As a philosopher and vegetarian, I was disappointed to see yet another article (Putting Insects On The Menu, August 2021) omitting the ethical considerations around the debate of consuming meat. How are these insects killed, for example? Would any true vegetarian or vegan even consider the cruel taking of another creature’s life when it is not necessary for human survival?
What is absolutely vital for our survival is that we stop abusing the planet and start respecting all life, including that of insects. The article states that vegetarian and vegan diets are environmentally friendly, and we know they are healthier. The evidence is clear, and we should refrain from making the same mistakes over and over again. People shouldn’t be consuming meat if they care about their health, the survival of the planet for future generations, and the other lives that inhabit it.
Sharon Painter, Staffordshire
JESS MURRAY FROM WWF-UK REPLIES:
We know that a vegan diet is good for the environment. However, not everyone can or wants to go entirely plant-based, and if we are to shift away from damaging livestock practices then we must give people options. Adding insects to our diets can provide the same health and environmental benefits, including a source of B12, which often has to be supplemented in a vegan diet.
Biodiversity in decline
I agree with Mark Carwardine’s views on the lack of biodiversity in this country (My Way of Thinking, September 2021). Having read BBC Wildlife from the first 1963 issue, I have since observed a drastic decline in UK biodiversity. Farmers object to regulations protecting wildlife and still freely use pesticides and herbicides. Weed killer is overused everywhere. Anglers hate otters and aquatic plants growing on running water. Front gardens are now used to park cars, with soil replaced by concrete, pebbles or plastic lawns.
Another cause of biodiversity loss has to be the excessive mowing of grass everywhere. Insects and birds abound in roadside verges, roundabouts and central reservations, which are regularly mown down. This activity even goes on inside the ‘sanctity’ of nature reserves, where woodland rides and glades in flower and abuzz with insect life are cut and mown far too soon. Stream bottoms are repeatedly scraped (to forestall flooding?) with much bankside vegetation removed. Dame Miriam Rothschild’s wildflower seed mix ‘Farmer’s Nightmare’ is badly called for!
David Yendall, via email
The risks of gene editing
I must say that I enjoyed reading Jheni Osman’s thought-provoking piece on gene editing (Should We Edit Nature? September 2021). One of the axioms practiced by conservators of art in their restorations is never to use a chemical or procedure that has not been tried or tested, and cannot be reversed, for obvious reasons.
If scientists should modify a genetic sequence for whatever purpose, surely they must be aware that to inadvertently create some chimera end-product or species will only make matters worse? Genetic engineering can be a drastic tool that leads one down the path to the law of unintended consequences. I imagine that economics is behind this idea.
Other remedies might be more time-consuming, but at least they are controllable and reversible, and surely this is what matters most. It also begs the question of where does this lead to? Norman Marshall, Llandudno Junction
Waste of land
Eating insects is not the answer (Putting Insects On The Menu, August 2021). Not eating any animals at all is. Loads of land
is wasted around the world growing feed for domestic animals that could be used for growing food for humans instead. We need insects to survive. If they are eaten, it should be by animals in the wild, not us. We should also be ditching dairy, as that would free up so much land.
Clive Terry, via email
Foxes and hedgehogs
Having spent many years feeding hedgehogs in our garden, which has a high fence of almost 2m, in a large housing estate, we unexpectedly had a fox visiting one night in late July. The lone animal then returned a few nights later and there was no sign of fear from the four hedgehogs present and no aggression from the fox. The fox returns at irregular intervals, shares the food, and goes on its way. The hogs just keep chomping without anxiety. Is this an unusual occurrence?
Keith Cory-Jones, via email
CHARLIE LE MARQUAND FROM THE MAMMAL SOCIETY REPLIES:
What a brilliant moment to witness! Foxes have a hard time prising hedgehogs from their rolled-up position, so they don’t often try to eat them, and if the fox doesn’t seem aggressive, the hedgehogs may not react. They may also be less likely to react if they are used to the other animal. The fence may be 2m high, but actually foxes could quite happily jump that, so this one may have visited the garden before and the hedgehogs may already be familiar with it.