I don't think animals can be afforded the same "rights" as humans. But let's not kid ourselves that animals, particularly mammals, feel pain, experience emotion, and have a degree of consciousness such that what we are doing to them instill horror upon them.
I'm not really for or against animal protection laws because I don't think that they have rights. I think a better solution is to convince people that animals are worth protecting from unnecessary destruction.
But you won't hear me complaining about increased protections for animals.