Humans live alongside animals of all kinds, and have a very complicated relationship with them. Do we owe anything to them?
The exact relationship we have with animals varies wildly depending on which ones we are talking about.
Some we have driven to extinction, or very near it. The once plentiful bison was overhunted, as was the passenger pigeon. The former, with protections, managed a population comeback after near extinction, but the latter was not so lucky.
Others have thrived living — willingly or not — alongside humans. Pets, like cats and dogs, have fared well. So have rats, which have lived in or near human civilizations since the introduction of agriculture.
As human populations have increased and spread out, we often inhabit land that used to be the home for various animals. Thus, you see odd videos of a moose walking down a street, or a bear entering a grocery store.
These interactions raise a question: what should the relationship be, between humans and animals? A predator could pose a danger to humans. People die each year in animal attacks. Animals can also spread disease, and it seems likely that the COVID pandemic started when a virus made the jump from bats to humans.
Of course, humans are animals too. And we are all part of a larger ecosystem, which has evolved over millions of years, with each species having a role to play. Changing or eliminating those roles can have significant impact on the web of life on the planet.
Beyond that, there is the ethical question: do animals deserve to be treated respectfully? And if the answer is yes, what does that look like? What happens when they inevitably come into conflict with humans?
Related questions: Do animals have rights? Does nature have rights? How are humans like other animals? How are they different? What do we owe the future?