Too, too often, man has not been a good neighbor to animals. Whether we talk about clubbing baby seals to death for their beautiful pelts, or butchering elephants with hacksaws for their ivory, or trapping animals in steel-jaw leghold traps where the pain is so excruciating they have been known to chew off a leg to escape, we stand guard for all animals.
Too often man is animals' foe.  He may club seals for their pelts, butcher elephants for their ivory, or trap others in cages where only the sacrifice of a limb promises escape.  Despite our malice, we are their shields.