Condemn the callous and thank good people

THE articles about animals in the Mercury on May 11 made me despair.

They were so depressing I felt like cancelling my Mercury subscription!

The deliberate shooting of a “magnificent peregrine falcon” and the cowardly act of dumping a “big, beautiful” deceased dog in a very undignified manner were upsetting and soul-destroying (“Sad end to lives of two beautiful creatures”.)

Added to these sickening acts was another report of the hedgehog who was fortunately saved by nearby witnesses from her abuse and near drowning carried out by mindless yobs. (“Hedgehog made to inhale cannabis then thrown into river by cruel yobs”).

However, these incidents also illustrated that there are many responsible, animal-loving people whose actions counteracted the inhumane, despicable behaviour of the culprits.

Thankfully the majority of humans are compassionate and were also on hand to help a stranded juvenile minke whale in the Thames (“Freed whale ‘unlikely to survive’”). Sadly Tuesday’s edition of the Mercury was too late to report that the whale had been euthanised to prevent its further suffering.

It seems appropriate to not just condemn the callous acts of the minority but to praise and thank those who “go the extra mile” to help our non-human relatives.

Many of the people involved in the recent reports who came to the animals’ assistance are unnamed members of the public. Others were the RSPCA, the Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital, Animals’ Angels and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

These and many other individuals, organisations and charities deserve our recognition and thanks for the work they do for animal welfare.

Having been uplifted by them, I won’t be cancelling my Mercury subscription!

Elizabeth Allison, Aylestone