Humans first

I read with interest Ben leather's comments (Nature, May) but was surprised to note that, while he linked human development with the destruction of animal species, the impact of this development
on the third world human species was largely overlooked.
Elsewhere in the magazine you referred to the influence of unrestricted travel and abusive land farming on the natural habitat of endangered species, but you failed to mention that every minute
thirty children die from starvation and other associated diseases in the human -and animal-world.
Do people not recognise the irony in this and do they not realise where we should place priorities?
I have been to Africa twice and much though I admire the animal world, I cannot help but focus my
interest on the most urgent human needs, and of children in particular, in such countries.
Surely it is time that everyone starts to question whether public money should be spent on saving
animals until there are humans needing to be saved.