Again, a simple answer:
Yes, we're animals. We are not, hoverer, beasts. Or at least, not all of us are, though each of us can potentially descend to that level.
As I said before, scientifically speaking, human beings are animals, the most intelligent, social and advanced on this planet that we know of. That much is undeniable.
But what truly makes a human humane, what makes man more than beast, is not intelligence, it is our capacity for empathy, our moral consciousness, and our awareness of the same.