Satyarup Siddhantha reached the summit of the Everest in 2016 The Telegraph file picture

Sir — It was deeply disheartening to read that giraffes have been declared critically endangered in Kenya. In the past 30 years, the nation has reportedly lost about 40 per cent of its giraffe population, mostly on account of poaching, climate change-related illnesses and the loss of habitat. Each of these conditions has been brought about by human beings, who are almost solely responsible for the degradation of the environment. How much more destruction must the planet bear before people realize that urgent action is needed? It is time that governments and civil societies around the world made conservation a top priority.

Sohini Sen,

Calcutta

Step forward

Sir — The step taken by the Pakistan high commission to give over 220 visas to Indian pilgrims to travel to the Sindh province in order to participate in the 310th birthday celebrations of the religious leader, Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib, must be lauded. The foundation of the Shadani Darbar was laid at Hayat Pitafi Tehsil, in Mirpur Mathelo, Ghotki district in 1786 by the guru, who was born in Lahore in 1708. The move to allow Indian devotees to visit the shrine will promote peace and brotherhood between India and Pakistan, and create many possibilities for them to take their relations forward in a positive manner.

Shah Faisal,

Mumbai

Sir — It was heartening to read that more than 200 Indians will be able to visit Pakistan to worship at the shrine of the Shiva avtari, Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib. Both countries have significant populations of religious minorities, and important shrines related to the Hindu and Muslim faiths exist on both sides of the border. It is only humane to allow worshippers on either side to cross the border to visit sites that they consider holy.

In India, the notion of fraternity among people of different religious faiths is a fundamental tenet on which the Constitution is built. The Pakistan government has shown great respect to this noble idea by allowing Indian citizens to visit the Shadani Darbar. In any case, ordinary people in both India and Pakistan have always been eager to visit each other’s countries and be friends with one another. It is high time that the governments of both countries recognized and respected these wishes.

Sheila Ray,

Calcutta

Stupendous climb

Sir — The mountaineer, Satyarup Siddhanta, who reached the summit of the Everest in 2016, must now be congratulated for scaling the Mount Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. It is the highest volcanic summit of North America, and Siddhanta is the first Indian to conquer this peak (“Siddhanta summits Mexican peak”, Dec 7). The mountain stands at 5,636 metres above sea level.

In the last month, Siddhanta also managed to scale Mount Wilhelm, the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. Before that, he climbed to the top of Mount Giluwe, the highest volcanic summit of Oceania and the second highest in Papua New Guinea. Next on the agenda for the mountaineer is scaling Mount Sidley in Antarctica. One hopes that he is successful in this endeavour as well.

Sourish Misra,

Calcutta

Sir — Indians should feel proud of Satyarup Siddhanta’s achievements. He has climbed and reached the summit of multiple mountains when many mountaineers struggle to scale even one. His latest conquest, Mount Pico de Orizaba, is a dormant volcano. The last eruption was reported to have occurred in the 19th century, but even then scaling a volcano that is not extinct takes courage.

Surjit Das,

Calcutta

Incorrect claims

Sir — The editorial, “Joined by lies” (Dec 6), is factually incorrect and misleading. It states that the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America penalized the multinational maker of knee implants and other devices, Stryker, for violating the corruption norms in India, China and Kuwait. In our resolution of this matter with the SEC, Stryker did not admit any wrongdoing relative to the agency’s findings. Further, the agency did not find any Stryker employee engaged in corruption. In accordance with the SEC’s order, we have retained an independent consultant to formulate a work plan that will be evaluated by the agency and Stryker to address the SEC’s findings.

The US SEC acknowledged our commitment to compliance. In its official filing, the SEC stated, “Stryker fortified its existing compliance program, which is designed to prevent, detect, and remediate potential misconduct. This program develops, maintains, and implements corporate policies and standard operating procedures setting forth specific due diligence and documentation requirements for relationships with foreign officials, health care professionals, consultants, and distributors.”

The editorial also mentioned Stryker offering incentives to doctors for disbursing faulty implants, manipulating bids to form a “cartel”. This is factually incorrect. We at Stryker take pride in the quality of our products and are committed to conducting affairs lawfully, in accordance with the highest ethical standards. The SEC’s order makes no reference of manipulative activities referenced by the publication.

Medical devices are foundational to modern healthcare, providing healthcare practitioners the tools to provide quality care.

Stryker