Cross Breeds

What is wrong with taming and domesticating wild animals we humans did it in the past?

With foxes it was done in Russia but with wolves it was done for thousands of years and also horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, chicken, wild cats, elephants, and other animals . Why a lot of activists believe that wild animals should not be kept as pets and should not be tamed or domesticated. I would love to see friendly lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, cougars, bears, and other predators become friendly and docile after 50 -100 years from now.

Public Comments

1. most people don't have the knowledge to do it
2. well no matter how much people want those animals to be domesticated they will never be able to be domesticated. they will always be wild and it is best to leave it that way i beleive that people should raise orphanned animals if they truly are orphaned but that is illeagel in most places.
3. DOMESTICATION TAKES *TENS* OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS! NOT a few weeks in some twit's backyard! WILD species are NEVER "tame"...ALWAYS DANGEROUS & NEVER TRUSTWORTHY! Get out your dictionary & read the definitions of = DOMESTICATE TAME *&* TRAIN!!
4. I actually do agree with you. Wolves were domesticated about 20,000 yrs ago into the companions we know today. Cats were domesticated from the African wildcat Felis Sylvestris about 5,000 yrs ago. The research project you mention in Russia proves that domestication can occur much more quickly than previously thought. Ranched silver foxes with typical wild unfriendly temperaments were sorted, and those who showed the least aggression to handlers became the nucleus of a new colony. Each generation the most docile (or least aggressive) foxes were chosen to be next year's breeders. In less than 20 yrs this stringent selective breeding program produced a strain of silver fox that remains friendly and docile into adulthood. This could certainly be done with species with short generation time in which you can stringenty select breeding stock and produce at least a generation a year. The main issue with this is the number of offspring that don't have the temperaments you want that would have to be culled from the program - what to do with all of them? Silver foxes with aggressive temperaments still make nice coats, but what would we do with animals not used for meat or furs? As for being doable, yes, it is. I'd like to see bobcats bred for docility and for vivid rosetted patterns.
5. Actually, it took tens of thousands of years of breeding and cross breeding to get our domesticated cat and dog. If you look up stories, elephants and wolfs and foxes may be tame, but are never actually domesticated. We haven't been working with them for centuries. They are still wild and every once in a while will just snap back to basic instinct. Turn on animal planet. They have shows specifically dedicated to how "domestic" wild animals revert back to their natural state and the result is chaotic. Start workin with your tiger now and maybe your great great great great great great great great grandkids can have a pet carnivore. Good luck!
6. There's a difference between 'trained' and 'domesticated'...just ask Siegfried and Roy. While training may take only a matter of months, the wild instincts are always there...domestication is only done over many, many generations.
7. Uhhh... I work with exotic cats at a shelter, and let me tell you... like one of the answers above said, it took many many years to domesticate these animals, and some of the wild instincts still remain (dogs circling before they lie down,etc.). These animals are built to be predators, not pets. They have claws as long as your pinky finger and teeth the same size, weighing in at over 500 lbs. Even though the tigers and lions i work with have been in contact with humans, the second you turn your back on them, the predator-prey instinct takes over, and the animals will do as they were made to do - hunt. Do you have any IDEA how many people are killed trying to keep these animals as pets? Even if they were deemed "nice", they could accidentally break your arm by leaning on you (happened to a coworker) or play too rough and leave puncture wounds that require stitches (also happened to a coworker, same one in fact). Bottom line, these animals are dangerous, and should not be taken lightly as cute little puppies/kittens.