I READ with horror the article about the proposed deer cull. (The word 'cull' somehow sounds less offensive and gentler than 'kill' or 'murder'.)

Our home adjoins the Ashdown Forest and we love seeing the deer in our garden and consider ourselves to be incredibly fortunate to live in an area so abundant with wildlife.

I regularly walk our dog on the forest and the surrounding countryside, and would be very interested to know where Mr Randle of the Southern Counties Deer Management has quite commonly seen a field of about 100 deer.

I frequently see deer too, but have never seen a herd of more than about a dozen around here.

Yes, the numbers of deer have undoubtedly increased in recent years.

Not only do we see them in our garden, but each morning as I drive to work and witness the daily carnage of assorted wildlife, there are increasing numbers of dead (or worse dying) deer.

Deer do leap out into the road, and I would agree with Trevor Weeks that wider verges would help, but the real culprits are a selfish minority who drive far too fast.

The arrogance of humanity is incredible. Who are we to determine that the deer population is "getting out of control"? For hundreds of years people have been farming the land and co-existing with wildlife. Since the demise of wolves and bears, deer have not had a natural predator but their numbers have remained reasonably constant.

Nature has a way of working things out. However the human population continues to increase, leaving ever-shrinking areas for our wildlife.

Within recent years farmers have been advocating hunting foxes for the good of the countryside and gassing badgers because they might spread TB to cattle. We really are an arrogant, intolerant species.

Rita Burton

Crowborough