Gandhi once said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated. If that is so, we are a terrible nation indeed! More so because we are prosperous, educated, peaceful and not prone to natural disasters. So what is our excuse for such a shoddy record when it comes to animal welfare? The general notion seems to be that one has to be 'evolved' to a certain degree to care about animal rights. To this I say that one does not need education or a highly developed intellect to have compassion towards animals. In fact I have come across many highly-educated people who keep their domestic pets in inhumane conditions. They don't think it is cruel, an animal is seen as a life form beneath them to be treated as they like. There are many stories of white collar professionals who have subjected their domestic pets to extreme cruelty. Several days ago an animal rescue group highlighted the plight of