Sir, Nature tends to ensure that as prey species such as songbirds increase so will predators such as sparrowhawks, crows and magpies, and as the number of songbirds decreases from predation so will the predators decrease (letter, July 21). The extra factor, certainly in this area of South Herefordshire, is the vast roadkill figure. Magpies, crows and increasingly buzzards can make a very good living off roadkill, keeping their numbers artificially high in relation to their natural prey.

Bill Webb
Llangarron

Sir, There are regular appeals for this or that species to be culled, mostly for economic, self-interest and animal “welfare” reasons, or to “restore the balance”. My guess is that there isn’t a balance at all. Population levels are in constant flux.

Natural processes, the intended and unintended consequences of land use and economic policies, plus many other human factors, all contribute to something that is probably nearer to chaos than a comforting, orderly and benign phenomenon. The process decides winners and losers along the way.

The perceived need to control wild animals and birds indicates that something deeper, elsewhere, is awry. Perhaps it is the inability of a section of the human population to accept change or unfamiliarity.

Keith Zealand
Sheringham, Norfolk

Explore Letters

• Feedback