The "Battle at Kruger", Human Exceptionalism, and the Misnomer That is "Animal Rights"

This remarkable video depicts a desperate fight between a crocodile, a pride of lions, and a herd of cape buffalo over the life of a calf. No “animal rights” here. No “right” not to suffer here. No “cruelty” here, either. This is the tooth and claw struggle of the natural world.

Only humans have managed to partially step beyond this ruthless struggle and bring a level of charity and civilization to life. And we are the only species to have ever done so in the billion years or so that life has existed on the planet. In this, by definition, we are truly exceptional.

Another uniquely human trait is empathy for other species. In this video, we naturally tend to root for the underdog—the helpless calf that the lions want for dinner. We empathize with and cheer on the buffalo herd that charges to the rescue desperate to save their own. In contrast to us, any elephant or zebra looking on the scene would have been utterly indifferent to the fate of the calf. Only people have the capacity to project their emotions into such a dramatic scene and care about the outcome. And that is another thing that makes us truly exceptional.

The crocodile, the lions, and the buffalo captured in the video all acted purely in their own self interest without regard to the effect their behavior would have on the wellbeing of the other animals. No sacrificing by the buffalo for the sake of the lions. No willingness by the crocodile to forego an easy meal, for which it did not have to work, as unsporting. No willingness by the lions defray their own thriving because of the pain the loss of the calf would cause the buffalo’s mother.

Altruism, putting others first, self sacrifice—even toward non humans—these are all distinctly and uniquely human traits further illustrating how we are exceptional. (Dogs don’t count. They are our intelligently designed creations and have been engineered by us to exhibit attributes toward us that wolves never would. We are the only species capable of such a feat, adding another point to the list of what makes human beings so exceptional.)

Here’s the point I am trying to illustrate: Animal “rights” is a misnomer. It is purely a discussion of the extent and scope of human self-imposed duties. We are the only species who could even conceive of pursuing such a course, clearly and self evidently illustrating the exceptional nature of human life.

This all seems beyond dispute to me. Why human exceptionalism is even controversial is beyond me.