The phrase "hobby killing" as used by Andrew Tyler of Animal Aid (Letters, September 23) is of course the previously-unspoken key to the whole debate, and raises a central point which correspondents such as David Stubley would do well to answer.
Whether or not one has any moral objection to killing (by shooting, hunting or fishing) it is surely undeniable that the pleasure of the kill must be a major feature of any "country pursuit". I cannot imagine that the principal thoughts in the mind of anyone on a grouse moor or a commercial stalk are about sustainable food, vermin control or supporting those people who work on the estate. If you go out to bag a few birds or animals, why not just admit that you're doing it mainly for the fun of the kill? To pretend otherwise is to shed the tears of the Walrus and the Carpenter when all the oysters are gone.
Brian Chrystal,
55 Craiglockhart Road,
Edinburgh.
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