I am also disturbed by those who view animals as mere "property" that have no soul, no morals, or worth, other than to serve our needs. As a person whose had many types of pets growing up, I can attest to the fact that they are not soulless, and that they are capable of love and being loved.
First off, we humans are animals. As much as want to, we cannot distinguish ourselves as inherently different or better than any other animal. We are all relatives of a large family tree. Harambe's great, great, great... grandmother was your ancestor. Every form of life has a common ancestor and is related. No life is inherently worth more than another. Each living being has adapted throughout millions of years to suit their environment and survive the cruelty of mother nature. They should be respected and admired for their beauty and unique characteristics.
Humans have become arrogant and complacent, assured of their superiority above all other living things on Earth. They view their fellow creatures as inferior, as things that are merely here to satisfy our selfish needs. Need to get around? Ride on a horse. Need to have the file plowed? Hook up an ox to a plow and have it plow your field. Hungry? Slaughter these pigs. Bored? Have a tiger jump through some hoops. Animals are being used and treated no differently than a machine or any inanimate object to serve us. We don't view them as sentient beings with feelings. If we did, perhaps it would be much harder to justify our cruelty.
In nature, animals consuming each other has multiples purposes. First, it controls the population of each species. Secondly, it weeds out the weak and sick so that each generation is healthier and better suited to live in their environment. You can thank evolution and natural selection for all the features you have that allow you to be healthy and survive the world: an immune system that kills pathogens, eyes that allow you to see, ears that allow you to hear, etc.
However, the human consumption of animals has no purpose in this natural world other than to feed humans. We mass produce them in "factories" under cruel conditions. Hens are locked into tiny prisons and forced to produce as many eggs as possible, as quickly as possible. When they are no longer able to produce eggs efficiently, we have no use for them, and therefore are slaughtered. The same goes for cows, pigs, and other animals. Our greed and needs have no end, and we mercilessly raise and destroy billions of animals for our consumption, mistreating them in the process. Why? Because we can.
I think if one lived on a farm, raised an animal from birth, go to know it and had to slaughter it for food, they would appreciate it much more. They would feel a sense of gratitude that this animal has given up its life so that we can live. On the other hand, someone who buys a piece of chicken from the grocery store simply sees the chicken in a package in the refrigerator, and views it as a product just like any other. There is no sense of respect or sense of appreciation. I cannot stand it when food needlessly goes to waste.
We should dread the day we make contact with aliens if they are anything like us. For if we humans don't even view our closest relatives as worthy of being treated with respect, but instead lock them up for our amusement and shoot them instantly to save one of our own because the life of one of ours is unquestionably more valuable than that of the animal, how do you think an alien species who is far superior to us, and not related to us in any way will view us and treat us? Maybe how we treat a pig?
I think the world needs more compassion and empathy. Not only for other animals, but also for our fellow humans. It's no surprise we treat animals the way we do, when we treat our fellow human beings so poorly.
The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
-Mahatma Gandhi
