[split] "Some people eat animals, some don't."

[Diana]

I don't enjoy killing ants and termites, nor do I see them exclusively as pests. That did not stop me, however, from setting up poison bait stations around my house because of the potential risks of infestation. We regularly make decisions about which animals live and die because they animals themselves are not capable of making them, which is precisely the reason we are repulsed by making decisions about whether humans and pets live or die: they have a conscious opinion on the matter.

You don't need to kill ants. All you have to do is keep your house clean and keep all the food put away. If there is nothing to eat they will leave.

I don't know about termites. But if I had a problem with termites I would look for a natural deterrent. Why use poison when you don't have to?

If you think animals don't have a conscious opinion on the matter, go to a slaughterhouse and see if the cows/pigs want to be killed.

The bottom line is: what is necessary? Is it necessary to use fish to grow plants hydroponically? No. So why kill them? When is killing life forms EVER a good thing? Some think they may be being of service to do so—well, have at it if it makes anyone feel better about taking life. 

I get that a pet means more to a person personally than a wild animal. But this is an arbitrary line drawn that makes no sense when objectively observed.