Marksmanship, Courage Are Two Different Things

In spite of the press being awash with tragic stories of starving, homeless people and murderous quibbling in the Middle East and Central America, I have never read anything so revolting as the article on Madleine Kay, the wild animal killer (Jan. 8).

Kay and her hunter colleagues trot out the usual perfunctory phrases such as “more sporting” and “respect for the animal” to justify this imbecilic slaughter. To suggest that it is sport to ambush an unsuspecting animal with a high-powered weapon from a great distance is a rapacious assault on the intelligence of civilized people.

Our world is too small for the Madleine Kays to indiscriminately kill animals, cut down entire forests or explode nuclear weapons in the name of sport, progress or defense. The survival of our planet depends on the symbiosis of man and all other creatures.

JOHN L. BURNABY

Santa Barbara