If an animal "prodigy" was found somewhere with intelligence on-par with humans, should our law protect it?

Well on a neuronal level is that even possible in other animals? I think talking animals is truly pushing the limit for intelligence. I think along the lines of an animal being able to learn math or write that would be something to study not "protect". I am taking this answer as a view from science because if we just killed this animal we would not understand what made it's brain able to be able to communicate on such a high neuronal level. Most likely it would be studied and others of its kind would be hunted down and studied as well. eventually it would die or be killed and its brain would be studied along with spinal cord, liver, spleen kidneys, etc. like a dog, it can learn up to 250 words and we don't go around "slaughtering" them because we know they have the neural capacity. but if a cow starts talking i would run and think mad cow disease because we don't eat cows because their smart, we eat them because their abundant and it has been show in civilization that animals are a staple in our diet. instead of seeing animals as our "equals" it would seem plausible that we are higher because of the society that we have built and made animals our superiors.