Bears eating elk seems okay to me, partly because it seems like they are born that way and they haven't evolved beyond their basic instinct to eat and survive.

Bears eating elk seems okay to me, partly because it seems like they are born that way and they haven't evolved beyond their basic instinct to eat and survive. It seems that as human beings, we have a higher order skill named empathy. We feel pain and suffering and are able to relate to the pain and suffering of others - even if they are animals. Once this evolution has happened, is it still right to continue inflicting pain and suffering for ones own benefit?