The golden rule, I can't say for certain as I wasn't there, but I strongly suspect that at its inception was implied to be a human-on-human arrangement.
That said, I do see the value in not killing nonhumans just for the heck of it. I was taught only kill what you intend to eat but I don't like the taste of fire ants.
My point was just that the lines between extermination and murder, neglect and preservation, and between pets/livestock/wildlife/vermin are in a different place for each person.
My self imposed policy of not exterminating possums is a brand new thing; you witnessed the birth of it. I only established it in the interest of warm fuzzies for all. If we can't adapt to change in public opinion (pretty sure at one point everyone else saw them in a similar light as myself) then we become dinosaurs. They're still mutant rats to me, no matter how many ticks the internet says they eat. But I promise to live and let them live regardless.