Animals have a level of reasoning or intelligence. Some more than others. I absolutely know for a fact my dog Jack (deceased) who knew over 50 words and most definitely could reason had an advanced, for a dog, personality. Same can be said for whales, corvids (crows etc.) certain other birds, elephants, etc. Elephants for instance have strong powers of memory and display a sense of morality and even an advanced, for animals, sense of community and duty. Consciousness is not a singular point but is rather a sliding scale. Humans for instance can be downright animals with little or no moral compass or compassion but they can also reach states of higher consciousness. Anyway, off subject a bit there. It seems to me as one moves up the scale in consciousness one feels more compassion, courage, love, wholeness, etc., and one frequently views life in all its forms as sacred. In the lower frequencies of pure survival, without moral boundaries inhibiting behavior, survival is the Law and the way of nature. The question in my mind is this: as we humans rise up beyond base survival instincts, which would include killing and eating whatever one can, do we find a valid, moral, imperative to NOT kill? Science has now proven that plants "communicate" and indeed show some functions of consciousness. We instinctively show very little remorse in killing and eating a plant because we don't recognize any consciousness in them. I suspect too many humans feel ok eating a dumb chicken but would not consider eating a dog (exempting many asians who partake). In Holland you may see horses out to pasture. They are being raised for human consumption. Amazing. So perhaps as we rise in awareness and consciousness so too will our compassion and sense of sacredness for all things.