From Don Caswell
Your report of a move in New Zealand toward the acceptance of fur from pest species is welcome news (14 December, p 13). I hope it achieves fruition and is emulated elsewhere.
In Australia foxes are feral pests that take a huge toll on native wildlife, and are a potential vector for disastrous exotic diseases such as rabies. A similar eco-fur initiative here would be of enormous environmental benefit and would provide a source of much-needed income in rural communities.
Hopefully, we are seeing an emerging shift toward reality and pragmatism in the policy of at least some environmental groups. For too long these groups have been the captives of extremists who hold a religious aversion to any form of wildlife “exploitation” or usage.
Ormiston, Queensland, Australia
