It’s time we stopped animals fighting for recreation

Our readers have their say about bullfighting, mobile phones and swine flu

Bullfighting on Fujairah corniche. Leslie Pableo for The National

In response to your article Bullfighting tradition in Fujairah divides opinion but delights its fans (January 17), making animals fight for for recreation, gambling or other purposes outside of those animals' own need to fight for survival in the wild is abhorrent and disgusting.

It is outlawed in most nations. It is time to criminalise all animal fighting, including bulls, dogs and roosters, particularly as this is the Year of Tolerance in the UAE.

Elan Fabbri, Dubai

I know very little about the reasons for these bull fights but I attended to make my own judgment. I thought it was far safer for the bulls than for their Spanish cousins.

The fights consist of pushing and shoving. Once a bull tires or dominates, the handlers end the fight.

I didn’t see any injuries but am not a veterinarian.

Did I speak out against it? No. Would I attend again? Probably not. But as a person who comes from the home of the world’s largest rodeo, I might not have a completely objective view.

Owen Neale, Abu Dhabi

Put your phones away to stay healthier for longer

Your story Dubai counsellors call on parents and schools to reduce mobile phone use among children (December 19, 2018) begs the question: do mobile phones cause cancer? There are solid grounds to believe there is a risk.

The cause for that is the radio frequency of electromagnetic fields given off by wireless and mobile devices. They have an adverse effect on our bodies, especially on the growing skulls of children and teenagers, which could trigger the development of brain cancer in the future.

According to recent research conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, excessive use of mobile phones might lead to the formation of brain tumours.

First and foremost, this is an issue for those adults and children who are virtually glued to their phones.

The Pew Research Centre has reported that 75 per cent of pre-teens and early teens keep their phones in their front pockets all day, which could be harmful for their reproductive health.

Children should be taught to use their mobile phone as little as possible. Landlines, skype and computer phone services, when connected to the internet with a cable, don’t give off the same radiation so parents should encourage their children to use those more.

Moreover, wifi routers in the home should be placed away from where people spend most of their time.

Good health is worth more than wealth but the majority of us don’t value it properly.

Dr Faisal Khan, Saudi Arabia

Tourist attraction sickness is a worrying development

With reference to your story Swine flu claims 40 lives (January 19), the news of 40 casualties from swine flu in Rajasthan and more than 1,000 people testing positive for the disease is alarming.

Tourists should be wary of travelling to this famous destination until this disease is eradicated.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru