Some wild animals appear to respect human life. For example, dolphins have helped drowning sailors swim to shore. There are also many stories of companion animals such as dogs risking their lives to save the human families they live with, even when they were never trained to do so. Still, it is true that such cases are exceptions rather than the rule.
In many cases, we can choose to violate other animals’ rights without facing any consequences. We do not have to fear punishment for it in an afterlife, and animals will never be in a position to hold us accountable. So, from a purely self-interested point of view, in many cases we have nothing to gain by respecting animals’ rights. Most animals simply cannot return the favour.
However, morality is not about figuring out how to maximise our selfish interests. True morality is not shown by a persuasive politician who acts benevolently only because television cameras are filming. Nor is it shown by someone who is kind to others only because they expect a favour in return, or who behaves well only to avoid punishment in an afterlife.
In my view, true morality means acting in the interests of others even when we gain nothing in return. We often make sacrifices for people who will never make similar sacrifices for us, and for people we do not even know. That is why we donate money to organisations such as UNICEF, which works to reduce poverty around the world. We do not do this because we expect to be paid back or rewarded in an afterlife. We do it simply because we believe it is the right thing to do.
The same principle answers the question of why we should respect the rights of other animals.
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