10 JUNE 2000, Page 27

Animal rights and Left Fr o m Dr Richard D. Ryder Sir:

It is rather sad that Lloyd Evans should seek to categorise the whole animal-protec- tion movement as being of the Left (`The animal protection racket', 3 June). Marxism 17'1M have nothing to do with animal protec- tion and often opposes it vigorously. On the other hand, many great figures of the politi- cal Right have, historically, espoused the Queen from Wilberforce, Shaftesbury and een Victoria herself, through Churchill tou many Conservative MPs today. D. Ryder Exeter, Devon