Morning Extra - 04/06/2009

Do we need to be tougher on animal cruelty? We pride ourselves on being a nation of animal lovers, but there's plenty of evidence that doesn't apply to everyone. The Scottish Badgers charity says 2009 could be one of the worst years for crimes against the animals, and Strathclyde Police says the hunting of roe deer in Glasgow's east end is also on the increase. As well as wildlife crime, there's cruelty towards domestic pets. Take the recent case of Anthony Docherty from East Renfrewshire who admitted torturing three cats, killing each of them, decapitating them, pulling the tail off one and scalping the others. Or the case of Dundee man James Burns who let his pet dog starve to death a few months ago; the Scottish SPCA said it had been the "worst case" they'd ever come across. His punishment was a £200 fine and a ban on having pets for five years. Graham Stewart takes your calls, texts and emails.