humans are animals, why are they different?
i would not allocate the same right to a wild animal, for example, a wild boar that cannot find water does not need people dropping out of the sky to shower it with gatorade. but when we take animals into captivity, and bring them into our homes; whether domesticated or wild, we are responsible for them, since we have imposed upon their lives and chosen to take charge of them.
it isn't a clearcut issue, that's for sure. but i think things like cutting a chicken's throat versus pinning it up on a dartboard and playing darts with it to kill it.. there is necessary cruelty, and unnecessary cruelty.
that said, if you don't care about tigers, why should you care about humans? why should you care about yourself? let's just not care about the whole world. apathy is a disease.