I look to creative expression as the source of life's diversity. I see that all living forms are expressions of intelligent design and that role-playing is the only division between all life. How we treat these creatures is a reflection of how we handle the portion of our being that they represent. They are part of our environment, our DNA, and our psyche. The ability to have abstract thought and create art is considered human.
Humans write wonderful sonnets to lost love.
Humans dream up cities, and wars, and fight over religions based on Gods they are afraid of. They condemn their offspring to wars over differences of opinion. Animals simply live, and exist. Their experience is more direct and less cluttered. They expect no veneration or memorial.