Well, I’d also be horrified to hear about a human that was sexually abused and had their eyes gouged out. There’s something more shocking and real about such a description, rather than just a number.
But, I also think like Hail Ants mentioned, and you’re alluding, modern cultural attitudes to animals come into play here.
When an animal bites someone, say, we say they’re just acting out of instinct and have no malicious intent. But when they’re doing positive behaviours, we like to say they’re showing compassion, affection etc.
So in the modern, western view, animals are simply good, or at the very least innocent, in a way humans could never be; no-one would dispute humans can be jerks and do evil things.
This is why I think some people say they care more about the lives of certain animals than humans – they know bad humans and good humans, but only good dogs, therefore dogs = better.
(a position I find abhorrent btw – I’m definitely an animal lover but think a human life is always more important)