Why assume that I am a man – the little old ladies, quoted by a member of the "establishment", and their bequests are a major source of funding for research.

Unfortunately, due to editing, a relevant paragraph was deleted from my letter which illustrated that animals used in experiments do not have a happy ending.

Thirty years ago, the results of Professor Allen's embryo transplants on Welsh ponies were destined for Cambridge market, then the meat man. I know because I rescued one.

Many herds of Welsh ponies are sacrificed locally every year in the name of scientific research. A sad end to these spirited little ponies.

I do not use drugs, and cope with my disability thanks to alternative therapy. Neither do I eat animals or use products that are tested on them.

As for cloning species, the main reason they are disappearing is due to the destruction of their habitats.

There would seem to be no point in cloning merely to confine them to an existence behind bars.

There is not much likelihood of horses becoming extinct – in fact my point was the needless destruction of thousands every year due to over-production by greedy breeders.

It is not ethical to continue abusing animals that we have domesticated, be it in research, food production or entertainment.

K CLARKE
Tollgate Lane
Bury St Edmunds