Over the past few days, animal rights activists in my city raised a hue and cry over the living conditions of horses that were used to give rides on the beach. They then rescued the animals and have housed them in an animal shelter.

This picture, while seeming rosy, does have an ugly flip side to it. The animal rights activists in question belong to an organisation whose history in 'rescuing' animals, at least in my city, leaves a lot to be desired. A couple of years ago, they 'rescued' a cageful of lovebirds which were part of a movie hoarding setup. The rescue was effected, somewhat crudely, by the simple process of knocking the cage down. None of the poor birds survived the rescue - those that managed to escape being run over by the traffic were hunted down by crows. More recently, the politician who heads this outfit successfully 'rescued' a horse that was used to give rides from its owner - then abandoned it in an 'animal shelter' where the poor animal died of starvation. One keeps wondering how long the most recently 'rescued' animals will last.

Animal rescue is something that requires great skill, dedication and training. It is a field for experts, and should not be indulged in by weekend animal rights warriors. These people see it as a way to spend their free time 'usefully'. And of course, it does give them something to talk about at the parties.

We need to save the animals, first from the activists, then from the rest of the world.