Do Animals Strike a Greater Chord? Why?

I am reading Bill Gates’ 2009 Annual Letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Only a few pages into it, where Bill is discussing agriculture and negative impacts climate change can have on progress in that arena.  He makes a brief comment about animals:

It is interesting how often the impact of climate change is illustrated by talking about the problems the polar bears will face rather
than the much greater number of poor people who will die unless significant investments are made to help them.

For the most part, it seems a very true statement.  And it is not just regarding the climate change and not just polar bears either.  Very often the impact on animals is the point in these types of discussions or news coverage.  And it does seem that often the story about animals strikes a stronger chord in us (or it seems in my experience to be the case) than when we are talking about people.  Is it because many of us have animals as pets?  Is it because we feel that animals need us to care for them more and people “should” be able to help themselves?   Anyway, just one sentence that really struck me and thought I would see what others think.

(Yes I realize I am making a gross generalization, people do care about others too, it is just not the point in this case.)