The great apes, and whales, and dolphins, and other such creatures, are animals (not humans, not people).
They shouldn't be wantonly killed (not murdered), but they can be killed to provide sustenance or even clothing (though not such a supporter of the fur trade--leather comes from animals that would be killed, anyway, though).
A chimpanzee steak is not more offensive than a beef steak (or a whale one), in that a chimpanzee is not a higher creature than a bull.
And as the "(sort of an aside)" suggests, that comment wasn't very relevant, but it was minorly relevant. Furthermore, it wasn't an isolated comment; the preceding sentence was relevant to the topic at hand.
As a matter of law and depending upon one’s ethics, a chimp may not be a “higher” animal than a cow. Whatever you mean by “higher”. But there are many to reasons to feel that chimps are much closer to men than cows are.
But why limit our considerations to two mammals? Would it also be fair to say that dogs are no “higher” than earthworms? How about dolphins and planaria? Parakeets and starfish?
My view of religion is close to that of Leo Tolstoy.
As such, to be consistent in my beliefs, I am a vegetarian and do not use or wear leather.
Brilliant. Now you're only one logical hop away from Ingrid Newkirk of PETA who believes that a 'chimp is a slug is a dog is a boy' thereby refusing to distinguish between any level of life forms.
Doesn't your bible say something about good stewardship over animals, or is there no difference between a gnat and a gnu in your belief system?