Do Animals Killing and Eating Each Other Have Karmic Retribution?

Animals killing and eating one another certainly carry karmic retribution. Because for all the actions and deeds of animals, each one's tathāgatagarbha will store a record, collecting karmic seeds—the tathāgatagarbha naturally possesses this function and role. When the karmic seeds ripen, there is karmic retribution. Therefore all sentient beings are vessels that undergo retribution, each one deeply burdened with karmic obstructions, unable to extricate themselves. However, there is a difference between the killing done by animals and the killing done by humans: animals kill purely in order to survive, without a mind to kill or an evil mind, whereas human killing involves the matter of mental activity, so the killing karma of humans is heavier. Killing after receiving the precepts also involves the offense of violating precepts; the karmic offense of the mind's nature plus the offense on the level of precepts makes the karma even heavier.