BUNNY LOVING

A couple of weeks back I was out walking with Mrs Hosier and we saw a pair of otters. I was rather excited by this, as although otters are once again well established across southern England I had never before seen one in the wild. Later that same day I was turning over the compost heap in our garden (a therapeutic activity, even if not a street-cred building one) and dug up a rats nest. When the kids came home from school I told them about both these incidents and they were rather less interested in the otters than distressed that I had killed some baby rats, which seemed the wrong way round to me.

Some of our local political representatives and other interested parties are currently fighting proposals for a much needed piece of road improvement as it would mean destroying a rabbit colony on a roundabout. According to the MP concerned, the bunnies are more important than the major traffic congestion in the area. This also seems the wrong way around to me.

As a family we have been enjoying the BBC’s terrific Human Planet series. As we do not have a TV, we are watching this on iPlayer on my laptop, so it is hardly the most de luxe viewing platform; but even so, the footage is stunning, and the series brilliant. The episodes I have watched so far have included scenes of humans killing things, but it seems strange to me that this warrants a “Guidance: Contains some upsetting scenes” warning. I don’t recall getting a similar warning before programs that show humans killing humans. Which also seems the wrong way round.

I’m fairly keen on animals – the dogs, ferrets, snakes, lizards, snails and tarantula that share our home are evidence of this – but I also have a fairly robust attitude towards the natural world. At the risk of offending my more squeamish friends, rats generally should be exterminated, rabbits should be eaten, and if an Amazonian tribe needs to kill some monkeys to get by, well who am I to object?

It has often been observed that the English are a bit funny about animals. I think I’m inclined to agree.