Shouldn’t we defend people’s right to hurt animals instead of defending animals?

That’s not what the bible tells us to do. Jesus says to put the last first and to be a servant of all (Mark 9:35). We should humble ourselves and obey God’s command to care for all his creatures (Genesis 1:28-30). And we should encourage each other to do the same instead of reinforcing the attitude that seeks to tighten the yokes of the animals that we’ve been instructed by God to loosen (Isaiah 58:6).