Which life is worth more? Beauty and scarcity or ugly and common?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

My recent house guest was a wounded Cooper's Hawk that had been shot by what is now a felon among other things. This is a protected species and a thing of beauty.

After making calls, I was told to feed the bird live mice, which I did.

I can't think of a worse death for a mouse than being consumed by a raptor. The Cooper's Hawk usually eats other birds and usually kills them by squeezes with razor sharp talons before eating them.

Anyway, it brought the question to bear that if I wanted to respect the sanctity of all life, how should I rationalize the sacrificing of other life to save another?

Any thoughts?