Readers are unconvinced by a ‘liberal’ hunter’s line of defence and consider the wider ethics of killing for foodThu 4 Sep 2025 12.13 EDTShare

This long pro-hunting piece (I’m a liberal who loves hunting. Allow me to change your mind, 31 August) is full of the usual defences: that hunters are the ones who really care about wildlife and who protect it with their taxes and their efforts, and that hunting is a more ethical and humane means of consuming meat than store-bought factory-farmed. It conveniently overlooks the fact that hunters lobby government wildlife offices, hunters manage wildlife populations so that there is always a surplus of the kinds of animals they want to kill, and that hunters hold vast (usually right-leaning) political power in the US.

And the fact is that hunters not only eat their “reverential” kills but also readily eat the “ethically inferior” often factory-farmed meat; the author makes brief mention of that in admitting her weakness for store-bought poultry. Frankly, hunted meat may normally be less cruel than meat produced by animal agriculture, but there is overlap in their government lobbying efforts – for example, both want wild horses removed from public lands and both want hunting seasons on wild predators such as wolves and bears.
Kim Bartlett
President, Animal People Inc

 If you must murder, murder softly (or so runs Jessica Reed’s defence of hunting). Forgive me for being dissatisfied with this defence. For it leaves unanswered the crucial question: why must you murder at all?
Sasha Arridge
Oxford

50-year-old Khet Singh was attacked with sharp weapons while he was sleeping in his field. His brother’s complaint alleges he was killed because he stopped a group of armed men from hunting deer days earlier.

Written by Parul Kulshrestha
Jaipur | September 6, 2025 02:33 PM IST

2 min read

• https://committeetoabolishsporthunting.wordpress.com/2025/09/07/farmer-killed-for-stopping-deer-hunting-rajasthan-village-tense-as-angry-residents-set-fire-to-shops/

Jaisalmer SP Abhishek Shivhare said that three accused, Ladu Khan, Alam Khan and Khete Khan, have been detained and their vehicle seized. (Photo: X/@ANI)

The village of Dangri in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district has remained tense since a 50-year-old farmer was murdered earlier this week, allegedly after he tried to stop people from hunting deer.

According to police, Khet Singh was attacked with sharp weapons while he was sleeping in his field on the night of September 2. Seriously injured, he lay unattended the entire night until village residents found him in the morning and rushed him to the Fatehgarh government hospital. Doctors later referred him to Barmer in critical condition, where he died during treatment.

Jaisalmer SP Abhishek Shivhare said that three accused, Ladu Khan, Alam Khan and Khete Khan, have been detained and their vehicle seized.

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“We have detained three accused and the role of another person is still under investigation. If proven, then he will be arrested as well. We are yet to conclude that this incident happened because of deer hunting. The investigation is still on,” the SP said.

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Following the murder, angry villagers set fire to four cabins, including a tyre tube shop linked to the accused. Police immediately deployed personnel in the area, erected barricades and restricted the entry of outsiders to maintain peace. The SP appealed to villagers to remain indoors and warned against spreading misinformation online, saying that strict action would be taken against those trying to disturb communal harmony.

The victim’s brother, Swaroop Singh, has lodged a complaint at Sangar police station, saying that 10 days ago, Ladu Khan and Alam Khan had come armed with guns to hunt deer and argued with Khet Singh when he opposed them. Swaroop alleged that the same men, along with accomplices, attacked and killed his brother on September 2.

Police said the situation in Dangri village remains tense but under control as of Saturday.