The only difference here is that we acknowledge our actions while non-human animals do not. For instance, when it is said that we sacrifice animals to satisfy our taste, we are not taking into consideration the fact that other non-human animals do the same to animals in a lower category than they are. Lions, snakes, eagles, all perform acts of cruelty when capturing their prey. Thus, I believe that equality is not the need here. The need that some could be feeling is that she should try to lower the amount of pain we think animals feel when used to satisfy our demands.
Humans have greater mental capacities than any other animal.
We are full of rights and obligations, while animals are not. In conclusion, we are the ones to make the decisions of how to treat the animals around us. However, it does not follow that by not extending the principle of equality to other animals that we are able to do whatever we want with them. This goes back to the case pointed out earlier that acts of cruelty are never justifiable.