I could not agree more with your contributor (Cruel Hooks, Life, October 11).

What hope is there for mankind when the young children of today do not have feelings for their fellow creatures? I would have thought it was generally inherent in all of us not to inflict pain on any living thing, especially unnecessarily.

May I also join with your contributor with a plea to all fishermen to be ultra-careful with their fishing lines to ensure they do not entangle the swans with which we have been blessed.

Alfred G Herd, Tollgate Avenue, Redhill