Most of our city/district councils down under require you to have a licence/permit to keep animals in your yard. Since they don't ask me for a licence/permit for my wife or kids, I conclude they are not animals by THEIR definition (the councils).
But I agree under biology rules, human beings (homo sapiens) are animals.
Spiritually (under God's definition as I understand it) humans (mankind) are NOT animals. Kind of like the councils' definition.
Depends how you define it, I guess.
Cheers
Mick