Hunting

My first reaction on reading the article about me (“Souvenirs From the Safari Queen of Burbank,” by Linda Blandford, Commentary, Nov. 28) was “at least they spelled my name right,” but the passing of a couple of weeks has allowed for more reasoned reflection.

I can live with Ms. Blandford’s physical description of myself and of the profession of taxidermy. What saddens me is the depiction of sport hunting as “bucolic drive-by shootings.”

I would submit the following points for consideration: In order for you to stay alive today, something else had to die--be it a tomato, an unborn chicken or a deer. Secondly, licensed hunting for sport has never caused the endangerment or extinction of a single species. I challenge non-hunters to match hunters’ financial contributions toward wildlife conservation.

INGE DOUGHERTY

Burbank