The Voles in the Willows

This morning’s BBC news told another tale of woe – apparently Britain’s Vole population is in dangerous decline. Descriptions of the childrens’ stories, The wind in the willows, without vole were presented to us as a way of making the situation seem more emotionally charged.

I’m not pro- or anti- animal testing. I hate cruelty to animals at all levels, but then I would also hate to watch another human in agony which could be relieved if only the miracle drug could get clearance for use. Yes, laboratory testing is cruel, but given the many war refugees, famines, floods and genocide around the world, its easy to see a wider perspective on the world. I can’t help being glad, for example, that Amnesty International ‘s current campaigns involve writing letters to countries about Arms Control, Violience against women, refugees, the death penalty and freeing unjust prisoners rather than harassing scientists who are trying to cure cancer.

Why give my views on this? One of the reasons the vole is in decline is because the food chain has been suffering from an influx of mink and rats, caused by animal rights protestors releasing former lab animals into the wild. I guess the animals have rights, but maybe we should set up a lobbying group to press the mink and rats to find alternative tastes…