Sir/madam,
Whenever you mention the Exmoor ponies at Blackshaw Head, you invariably point out that Exmoor ponies are "rarer than giant pandas". At the risk of repeating myself (see letters 27 October, 2000), the comparison is meaningless: giant pandas are a unique species; Exmoor ponies are simply one of many different varieties of horse.
The British royal family (a variety of the species Homo sapiens) is also rarer than giant pandas. This fact tells us nothing about whether or not they are worthy of preservation.
Richard Carter
The Friends of Charles Darwin
friendsofdarwin.com
Letter to the Hebden Bridge Times
