No emotion is unique to humans. And animals exhibit various degrees of self-awareness, but that's where any kind of comparison ends. Some of those tests they put the New Caledonian crows through seem to beyond the scope of chimps ard in some cases have been compared to the average ability of 7 year old children.
Humans however are in a league of their own. All the emotions seen in nascent form in the animal kingdom become fully formed in humans. This unbridgeable separation, animal to human, is too grand an overkill to be the result of evolution alone. Something wanted us to partake in the wonders of the universe and to understand their processes to some degree. When the achievements of humankind are viewed with a just eye, collectively the outcome is astounding. From classical music to micro-surgery. From walking on the moon to touching to bottom of the deepest ocean. And we are only in our very early stages, no doubt even space will not hold us back.
So it is a very legitimate conclusion to believe that indeed we are the purpose of the universe coming into existence. Us and probably millions of other fully, sentient beings. No process, be it evolution or chance or some creative event can produce consciousness and sentient beings unless it is firstly conscious and sentient itself. Consciousness can not arise from non-consciousness.
As for the animals, the more we learn about them the more extraordinary and precious they become yet our industrial harvesting and wholesale carnage of them is a human obscenity almost beyond words. If we are going to destroy ourselves back to a manageable population I wish we'd do it soon while there's still remnants of a natural world worth saving.
