In one way I do have a respect for CERTAIN animal rights activists. It takes sacrifice not to eat meat. I was once driving to a county agricultural fair and passed some animal rights activists protesting the farming and eating of animals and thought you have to give credit to middle aged people who would stand the whole day in over ninety degree weather holding signs specifically in an area where the people passing them aren’t going to listen and think they are crazy. We can learn from their mesirus nefesh
OTOH most animal rights activists ARE crazy. They protest wearing fur but wear leather shoes (some don’t do even that) They protest medical tests on animals even though the human suffering with the lack of these experiments dwarfs that of the animals involved. They protest kaporos but not only ignore KFC they even ignore Red Lobster even though lobsters are cooked by boiling them to death. They oppose farm animals but ignore those who declaw cats, which to a cat is like missing a finger to the knuckle. Etc.
Bottom line is the Teshovos HaRashba gives the guideline of dealing with animals and says that all normal animal usage is allowed by the Torah. (Rav Moshe writes that because of this Rashba force feeding animals like foie gras are prohibited. So the animal right activists are actually right about that one) Even from a secular perspective the Rashba is probably the most humane balance for dealing with animals