Not to be evil...

[starmom]

... I think it is this: both daughters see our animals as friends and equals. They don't differentiate a lot between the value of a human life and their animal's lives. So, to them, it is fairly abhorrent to treat their pet's bodies with disrespect after death, just as it would be for us to treat a human's body with disrespect after death. Eventually, I think, their perspective will change a little.

I thought about posting how even most "naturalists" would be pretty horrified at the idea of a (human) loved one's body being used for animal food...

Hmmm, different cultural beliefs are coming into play with this now. I am not a Christian and so this might be when I need to not speak to this issue anymore. In closing, I will say that I find no disrespect in allowing the snake to eat the bunny and I am sure that you are right when you say that your children's perspectives will broaden as they age.
I suppose I ought not to have used the word "naturalist" since now it is being put into quotations and used.... well maybe in a way that I did not intend. It is a web of life and with it a web of respect. I do not put human animals above any others in the animal world. I believe the disrespect comes from waste.
Great discussion!