ANIMALS AS ACTORS

The writer of “The Cruelty Question” (Vicki Hearne, Dec. 11) did an excellent job in presenting both sides of the story. In exhibiting these animals to the public, a purpose is served by allowing people to become aware of animals and, in current times, their plights in the wild.

Is the expense to the animals living in captivity too high? If wild animals need to be beaten into submission, then maybe the owners should concentrate their efforts in other, more productive paths, such as channeling their monetary resources into programs to save and protect the native environment of these animals. Or would the loss of exhibiting these animals for profit also negate their interest in them?

ASHLEY YOUNG

Bakersfield