From the Buddhist point of view, all living beings....

“ From the Buddhist point of view, all living beings -- that is, beings with feelings, experiences, and sensations -- are considered equal. Human beings can live without eating meat. As human beings, I think that deep down our nature tends towards vegetarianism and leads us to do everything in our power to prevent harming other species. ”

Dalai Lama XIV

From : The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Inner Peace: The Essential Life and Teachings