JON Burgess is now insisting that foxhounds are friendly, good-natured animals which enjoy what they are trained for, helping to manage fox numbers - a euphemism for hounding them and biting them to death.

Once again, he ignores the cruelty aspect.

The hunting fraternity would have us believe that when hunting with dogs is banned, that packs of fox hounds will have to be destroyed as they have been trained to be savage and this is irreversible.

Surely, if they are such friendly good-natured creatures as we are now asked to believe, why could they not be re-homed?

MRS MARION J LARGE,

Worcester.