Part of the Food Chain

Years back in biology class, I learnt about the food chain and food web. In many food chains and webs, humans appear to be at the top of the food chains, where we are the predators (euphemistically termed consumers) and it's unusual to have predators higher up the food chain that preys on us.

Perhaps 'unusual' is not the correct word given the current thinking in our society. How many of us can imagine yourself being part of the food chain where you are not the highest up the food chain, i.e. there are predators that feed on you?

This idea is repulsive to many yet we are incredibly receptive to the idea of being able to eat everything else, e.g. it's ok to eat cows, buffalo, chicken.

A crocodile that kills a child is vehemently condemned and hunted down to be slayed because it is a threat to humankind. The giant catfish that eats human who wanders into the waters in European or Indian rivers are perceived as sensational monstrous creatures that terrify and justly deserve death, if it is ever caught.

Man eating Catfish that we gape at in horror

But how many 200 kg Tuna fishes are caught daily to be slaughtered and eaten by humans everyday?
Humans are known for a long time to have eaten tonnes of animals bigger than them and do so everyday, e.g. cows.

With some of the longest lifespan in the animal kingdom, the amount of meat we eat in our life definitely adds up to a very significant number. At my young age of 24, I think I have eaten at least a hundred chickens, and at least a 100 fishes, palm sized and above. But the point here is, why is it that it's ok for us to eat everything else, yet it's so not ok for other creatures to eat us?

Some might argue that is is due to the superiority of human beings that allow them to eat everything else (I'm not venturing into food taboo because that's culturally based e.g. horse meat is ok is some places but not in others). Perhaps I am naive, but I think being superior (yes, I'm not saying that we could not be superior) doesn't justify such a behavior. Shouldn't superior beings exercise more sensitivity and wisdom in their dealings with nature?

With problems like food wastage, immense exploitation of nature, deforestation, starvation, man-made natural disasters, can the notion of human superiority be reconsidered?

Having these questions, it's enough food for thought for today lest we get an indigestion.