THE death in Thailand of Andrea Taylor of Lancashire is not only devastating for her family.

It is a message that must be heeded by the people of Blackpool and anyone else who believes it is all right to keep elephants in zoos and circuses.

It shows what can happen when animals are mistreated and used as objects of entertainment.

The techniques used to train animals for public entertainment are not benign and loving. They are based on domination and a dominated animal becomes frustrated and dangerous. If it then attacks it is branded as unpredictable or a threat and is not uncommonly destroyed to protect the public.

We conveniently forget that we might well be the reason for the animal becoming angry. How many of us have lost our temper and the ability to think rationally when we are confronted by someone who tries to take over our freedom and dominate us?

Zoos will always try to make us believe they are committed to conservation but the facts do not support them. If we are to protect the wonderful variety of beauty of life on our planet then we must put effort and money into protecting wild places.

For Andrea's family the unimaginable has happened and our hearts go out to them. Let us hope no other family will suffer such a loss because of the lack of respect zoos show to both people and animals.

Mrs Pat Simpson (Captive Animals Protection Society),

Cherry Tree Road,

Blackpool.