SIR, – Having read the cover story on last week’s issue (lynx on the loose) I had to check the date and noted it was November 11 and not April 1!

As a keeper of breeding ewes and suckler cows, I had never thought that some of my stock might be ‘professional’. So out I went to the shed to try and work out which was which. After a great deal of thought, I was able to deduct which ones were pure black, which were black and white, and which were blue/grey. 

More importantly, I noticed the wild one that took great exception to anyone going near her offspring for tagging purposes – maybe she was the ‘professional’ mother.

To test Dr O’Donoghue’s theory how about having two pens with a lion in each pen. Mr O’Donoghue was given two choices: go into pen one or pen two. Pen 1 had the zoo lion that had just been well fed. Pen 2 the ‘professional’ lion that hadn’t eaten for a week!

Of all animals, cats seem to live by their own rules. Even the farm cat catches mice sometimes to eat right away and at other times to play with then be eaten later.

Brexit will throw up enough challenges for farmers without creating a ‘Dog’s Brexit’ by introducing mutton eaters into the countryside.

Rob Mack
Muirton Mains,
Fairburn,
Muir of Ord,
Ross-shire