Cross Breeds

Can animals survie in the wild after being tamed?

I am doing a report on taming wild animals and if they can survive in the wild, after being tamed. Please tell me all you know on this subjects and sites I can go to.

Public Comments

1. no they die, they die and they go to hell..... friggin animals
2. The general answer is no. Tamed animals become too dependent upon human interaction for their survival and are not prepared to hunt and feed and defend themselves when released again into the wild. That is why people like Diane Fosse and Jane Goodall tried to do their studies within the wild habitat itself. One of the first successful tame rearing and wild releases on record was that of Elsa the lion, made famous from the books "Born Free" and "Living Free". Dolphins and porpoises have had mixed reviews on successful releases. Killer whales have done fairly well when released. Sharks have not done well when released. Dogs and cats don't do very well when released. I'm sure that if you do some online research you will be able to find many examples of wild animal releases both positive an negative.
3. I suppose that depends on your definition of tame. There are animals that live in zoos that are reintroduced into the wild, but these animals are not getting a lot of interaction with humans and are prepared for going into the wild (being raised by "parents", having to hunt, etc). However, an animal that is comfortable being around humans and relys on them for food and whatnot probably would not survive.
4. It depends on the animal and the level of interaction with humans and the age of the animal. The truth is, no wild animals is ever really 'tamed'. They may not have the learning that is required to survive in the wild because their captivity with humans interrupted their learning and they may be emotionally bonded to people but wild animals are always wild and this is why generally you hear knowledgable people say that wild animals can be trained, but never tamed. Many animals are unable to be released into the wild because they never learned the skills wild animals need to survive. If this cannot be trained in captivity, then the animal cannot be released. Some animals will imprint on humans very easily (like white tailed deer fawns) and will continue to seek out people after their release meaning that they will come into contact with humans rather than fleeing like a normal wild animal would. This generally makes them unsuited to being returned to the wild because inevitably there will be conflict at some point and the animal's life will be in danger (and it may endanger people's lives as well). Animals have extremely varying degrees to which they tolerate people and to generalize to all animals is not very useful. Many animals are found in the wild, even as babies and successfully reared and released into the wild. But some animals you can't do this with, it just depends. Animals taken later in life have a better opportunity to be released, however, the amount of time they've been in captivity may impact their ability to be released. To read about a good example of an animal taken later in life that was never successfully returned to the wild, keiko's site has a good history on his life and what was done to try to reintroduce him to the wild. http://www.keiko.com/