I'm sorry that you found mish-mash to be "unfriendly"; I usually consider it an innocuous phrase. Please accept my apology for any offense given.
While some consider it a tautology, the fact is that the universe is uniquely ordered to give rise to humans.  There is a whole series of scientific principles dedicated to that proposition.
The morality of any action is derived from its end, intention, and circumstance.  Animals, as such, have no rights nor the expectation of any; they cannot be thought of as possessing a moral sense.   We, however, have duties toward them.  Recognizing this is not "anthropomorphism", but an acknowledgement that the differences between humans and the lower animals is profound. 
I don't consider animals "guilty" of anything, but Justice (the mean between selfishness and selflessness) cannot apply to animals.  To act "in accord with their natures" is in no way the definition of that virtue - a quality animals do not possess.