When the lion kills the zebra, it's good for the lion but bad for the zebra. Whereas I can appreciate your perspective, our planet seems to be deeply rooted in predator/prey relationships...
As for your question, if the race was that advanced, odds are they also knew how to synthesize bacon from basic protein building blocks. We'll probably get there in another 50-100 years...
RE: Vegan Rant: Leave the animals alone, for they are not ours to own