Why do animals suffer?

Psalm 104:10–30

¹⁰He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. ¹¹They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. ¹²By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. ¹³He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. ¹⁴He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; ¹⁵And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart. ¹⁶The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; ¹⁷Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. ¹⁸The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. ¹⁹He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. ²⁰Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. ²¹The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. ²²The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. ²³Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. ²⁴O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. ²⁵So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. ²⁶There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. ²⁷These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. ²⁸That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. ²⁹Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. ³⁰Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Job 38:39–39:30

³⁹Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions, ⁴⁰When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? ⁴¹Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. ¹Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? ²Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? ³They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows. ⁴Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them. ⁵Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? ⁶Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. ⁷He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. ⁸The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing. ⁹Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? ¹⁰Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? ¹¹Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? ¹²Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? ¹³Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? ¹⁴Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, ¹⁵And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. ¹⁶She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; ¹⁷Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding. ¹⁸What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider. ¹⁹Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? ²⁰Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible. ²¹He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. ²²He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. ²³The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. ²⁴He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. ²⁵He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. ²⁶Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south? ²⁷Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? ²⁸She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. ²⁹From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. ³⁰Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.

Romans 8:18–25

¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ²¹Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ²⁴For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Isaiah 11:6–9

⁶The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. ⁷And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. ⁹They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.