Don’t moles have a right to life too? | Patrick Barkham

John Clare's 'little hermit' may be a hero of children's literature, but adults happily use the cruellest methods to wipe out them out

Recently I treated the neighbourhood chaffinches to a bag of RSPB sunflower seeds so tasty that my toddlers try to hang from the feeder to scoff the food.

I bought it at the local garden centre, and next in the queue were a nice couple who were asking for "something to kill moles". Between me and them, this perfectly illustrates our bizarrely polarised attitudes towards wild animals.