Frankie Taggart's article on the proposed cull of wild boar now living freely in the Sussex countryside was worrying to say the least (The Argus, January 9).

Apparently, the Government's biodiversity minister has said the wild boar pose no threat to wildlife.

Silly me. I thought they were part of the local wildlife.

I thought wild boar were hunted to extinction in the 13th Century but, in recent years, had started to re-establish themselves and were now breeding in the wild.

I think this is fantastic news and it is a worrying trend that, as soon as wildlife seems to be thriving, somebody decides it is time for a cull.

Would it be a better idea to make the boar a protected species? It would not look good to seea species become extinct in Britain for a second time.

I read that otters and beavers have also been making a comeback in our rivers.

I suppose it is only a question of time before someone from the Government suggests a cull to protect fish stocks.

You have to think one step ahead of these people.

In France, Germany and the rest of Europe, wild boar are hunted but there has been no demand for a cull.

There was a great picture recently in one of the wildlife magazines of a wild sow suckling five piglets on the pavement in a suburb of Berlin.

It seems this Government has some peculiar ideas about biodiversity.

-Richard Florey, Brighton