MY letter printed in the Review dated April 24 questioning the cause of death of a boar piglet, photos of which were posted on a boar-friendly website, promoted a furious reply from a Mr C Kerslake.

I do not doubt this gentleman's integrity and if he is prepared to state categorically that he saw the dog attack and kill a piglet which he had previously observed to be uninjured then I will take his word for it.

The tone of my letter concerned misleading information.  Mr Kerslake perpetuates this by contradicting my knowledge of boar anatomy. 

The boar's heart is much further forward and lower down than in  other animals – very close to the injury shown on the dead piglet. 

Talk to any experienced shooter and he will tell you that, because of the thickness of the boar's skull and the fact that the head is constantly moving as the animal roots about, it is very difficult to get a kill shot to the head. 

Hence they aim for the heart on a more stable part of the body. This should be obvious to anyone  who has observed the boar. 

Finally Mr Kerslake proffers a cheap jibe  by suggesting I get out more to see what life is like in the woodlands. 

As someone who has played in and studied the woodlands and wildlife for most of his 68 years and for the last  20 years, barring illness, has walked in the woods literally every day  this would be difficult.  Unfortunately since the advent of the boar walking with a dog in the Dean is not the pleasure it once was.

I have no wish for this to develop into a slanging match therefore this will be my last letter on this incident.

– Terry Haile, Monmouth.