It is normal. Historically speaking, not doing so is what’s not normal. The nature of this planet is that every living thing lives off eating other living things.
It is normal for animals who don't think the same way that we do. They don't understand the concepts of "killing" or "life" and don't value life in the same manner as humans.
It's always struck me as odd when unethical treatment of animals is justified by saying "animals eat/kill/hurt other animals too!". We're different from animals. Our standards should be higher.
Many animals do understand killing and death. Elephants are a prime example of this.
Also, what is unethical about eating an animal? If this is really an issue, then we should be out there killing all those murdering predators like wolves, right?
Setting aside the obvious questions about how wild vs farmed animals are raised, wolves don't have a choice about what to eat, while humans do. Even if we wanted to improve the status of wild animals, murdering wolves isn't obviously the best way.
It is normal because for a very long time we didn't have a choice. I won't argue with the ethical aspects of killing animals but from a climate standpoint it makes sense to kill and eat a lot less animals.
I chose not to eat any animal products because I feel I don't need to eat animals to live and because the alternative is better for the world in general. The alternatives seem to either not live up to the claims or not be sustainable except at a small scale.
