Still it's fair to ask why do animal rights activists have a particular interest in animals. What attracts me to the cause is the fact that while billions of animals are murdered and tortured every year for food, clothes, research and other reasons, the animals themselves cannot utter a word of protest. Certainly there will be no pity from those people who ridicule us and think that if even one human in the world is suffering, then animal suffering is irrelevant. I get suspicious when people claim they don't care about animals because they're so busy trying to end human suffering. But because of human arrogance it is taken for granted by many people that only human suffering matters.
Humans think they're entitled to special consideration simply because they're human.
Intelligence and morality have nothing to do with it. After all, an ape may be more intelligent than a severely retarded human. Yet the ape doesn't enjoy the same legal protection as that retarded human. And the most immoral of humans have more rights than the most innocent animals. All cruelty is wrong.