THE new law protecting wild mammals from deliberate cruelty came into force on April 29. Before this, there was no power to prosecute offenders.

Are we celebrating? No!

For this new law allows 'humane control' of certain wild animals, by (and get this) shooting, hunting, coursing, pest control, trapping and snaring.

What an absolute two-way policy this is. Is the public going to be hoodwinked by these free licence-to-kill Acts?

Readers may remember my photograph in this newspaper last year showing just one of these 'legal' leg traps in which a rabbit was caught and had chewed its own leg off to get free.

They may also recall that, the year before, I found a cat in the same sort of trap.

PAMELA PEARSON, Bacup Road, Rawtenstall.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.