EDITOR -  The recent story featuring a monkey found on a London bus hides a deeply troubling reality about wild animals kept as ‘pets’.

Primates, reptiles and other wild animals are not domesticated companions. They have evolved over millions of years to live in complex social groups, roam vast territories and express a wide range of natural behaviours. No household, however well-intentioned, can meet these needs.

Primates, for example, are highly intelligent, social individuals who rely on lifelong family bonds and stimulating environments. When kept as companions, they often suffer from chronic stress, behavioural problems and poor physical health. Many are taken from their mothers at a young age, causing lifelong trauma for both parent and infant.

The ethical concerns extend beyond the individual animal. This trade in exotic animals fuels demand, encouraging irresponsible breeding and, in some parts of the world, illegal capture from the wild. Even where animals are captive bred, treating them as novelty pets sends the damaging message that wild animals exist for our entertainment rather than as individuals with their own lives and interests.

As these animals grow older, stronger and more difficult to care for, many are abandoned, surrendered to already overstretched sanctuaries or even killed because their needs are impossible to meet.

Wild animals are not ours to own. Like all animals, they deserve lives free from harm and exploitation. Their place is in the wild wherever possible, or in accredited rescue sanctuaries that can meet their complex needs – not in our homes.

Fleur Disney,

Animal Aid.

Capuchin monkey.

Faith restored thanks to Lidl Good Samaritan

EDITOR - My faith in humanity was restored last Wednesday when I was shopping in Lidl in Skibbereen. The store was busy with queues at three checkouts and I was juggling groceries, my phone to scan the Lidl app, and my wallet.

As I was going on holidays the day after, my wallet contained my passport, a sum of cash, credit and debit cards, and (perhaps stupidly) bank account details.

As I walked away from the till juggling my groceries a woman called to me from the checkout. ‘Excuse me,’ she said.

I turned around to see her waving my wallet in the air – retrieved it, and thanked her profusely. Good Samaritans are alive and well; and we have more than our fair share of them in West Cork.

Karen Coady,

Caheragh.

West must take stand against Israel and US

EDITOR - The Irish football team is set to play Israel later this year. Thanks to huge public pressure, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has been forced to move the game out of Ireland. But while FAI CEO David Courell hopes this decision will make public pressure go away, the majority of us Irish are not going to back down on this.

Football players, fans, celebrities and the public don’t want this awful scandalous fixture to go ahead – no matter where it’s played. Even some of our own ministers have said that they wouldn’t attend the game.

Trump’s World Cup subjected some teams and players to degrading searches, hours-long interrogations and denied or delayed visas based on racist policies.

FIFA is complicit in sports washing the crimes of the Israeli-US axis against Palestine. No western country is objecting or standing up to the Trump administration.

Daniel Teegan,

Listarkin, Union Hall.

Taxpayers’ millions sold down the river for $1

EDITOR - The state knew they would have to dispose of the MV Matthew three years ago. All the paper work would have been done at that point. Yet they spent  €17m of taxpayers’ money maintaining this vessel. Money that could have been spent on housing, disabilities and health or anything else that would benefit our community. We know that there was commercial interest in this ship, and we want to know why this was not explored  to recoup as much money as possible.

Noel Harrington,

Kinsale.