Why aren’t we still domesticating new animals?

Answer 1

There just aren’t any more that are worth our time. It’s actually pretty difficult to find species that suit domestication—although there are a few exceptions, they generally need to mature quickly relative to us, be willing to breed in captivity, be able to eat the food we can provide, have a good temperament, recognize humans as their pack leaders, and not flee when they’re scared.

So, although we probably could domesticate some seemingly good candidates, like zebras or deer, they’re better off in the wild.

Answer 2

A good number of people are surpised to find out that a lot of the animals we all think are so cute and adorable can actually be either pretty mean, are usually a TON of work (on a daily and sometimes hourly basis) just to take care of, are not good without others of their kind, or do not have suitable temperaments for humans and also sometimes other common household animals. Not to mention, they have the tendency to be much more costly and will drain your bank account because you have to find an exotic vet for them, you can't take them to a regular vet a majority of the time. Dogs and cats are pretty easy to take care of (they are still not easy) But in terms of comparing them to, let's say for instance a squirrel, raccoon, or fox it is indeed much easier to own a cat or a dog.

Recap: Many of these other animals require tons of work, tons of time, and most people who work 9-5 and especially those who have kids , especially, do not have time or money. Let's not forget to mention how many of these animals may not be child friendly.

Humans have also been domesticating cats and dogs for THOUSANDS of years, especially dogs. Other animals didn't come more naturally to humans for a reason.

Answer 3

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Domestication Animal Behavior Animals Are we domesticating any new animals?

I think we are trying to domestic certain animals such as many exotic pets, but that can take many years to accomplish if at all. Basically by domesticating an animal you are creating animals who are dependent on humans to survive. We also do this by taking them out of their habitats, but that's another issue. We can tame several individuals, but how many species have lost their instincts for survival, enough so that they can no longer survive without our help, I have no true idea. Cats for example are not fully domesticated as a species, as many still have their survival instincts to hunt. There are several feral cat colonies throughout the U.S. They do much better if they have been neutered and given immunizations though. Dogs on the other hand can have quite a problem living without people. It often depends on the breed of dog as some are bred for hunting such as the small terriers. Mind you, just because their breed profile says they can hunt, not all are actually encouraged or trained to use their natural ability to do so and may just worry "prey" instead of actually killing and eating it. That's a big problem with dog packs and many have been known to chase cattle and sheep, killing them, but not ever actually eating them. There are several types of exotic pets, such as the pot belly pig, but they aren't domesticated so much as individuals becoming tamed. Animals that are non traditional pets such as wild animals can be dangerous, especially after they reach puberty. Over all I have yet to see any new domestic species. I think people are mistaking taming some individuals animals as the same as domestication, but they are not the same thing at all. 624 views · View 1 Upvoter

Related Questions More Answers Below Are humans "domesticated" like the animals we live with? If so, who's doing the domesticating? What is the process of "domesticating" a species of animal? What animals can mankind domesticate but hasn't yet? Are there any other animals that can be domesticated like dogs can? Will we ever domesticate a new kind of animal or do we as a people pretty much have the kinds of pet animal options we will ever have at this ...

John Milhaven, Lifelong interest in zoology, some formal study. Answered Jan 30, 2020 · Author has 2.1k answers and 1.1m answer views

Originally Answered: Why aren’t we still domesticating new animals? We are, to some extent. But there are some important factors to consider: Since the Industrial Age humans have largely replaced animal power with machine power. Many of the tasks that might once have been done by animals are now done by machine, and going forward our tendency is to build machines to solve problems for us, rather than undertaking the long process of domesticating a new species. The low hanging fruit in terms of potential domestication candidates has already been picked. Not all animals can be domesticated, and presumably the easy ones have already been done. The wild world is g... Continue Reading

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Carrie Gardner, Manages a reptile blog aimed at education and conservation Answered Jan 30, 2020 · Author has 1.2k answers and 282.7k answer views

Originally Answered: Why aren’t we still domesticating new animals? People only first domesticated animals that were a benefit to humans as working animals, food, and toward the end, companionship. There are also animals that just aren't domesticable. They are easily startled, will run away, a less than friendly personality, or doesn't breed in confined spaces, has a relatively short gestation with offspring reaching breeding age quickly. An elephant would be unsuitable for domesticate and bankrupt the owner or breeder. Females become sexually mature at around 12 - 13 years old. Males usually don't mate until they are 30 years old. Gestation lasts 22 months a... Continue Reading

Joe Asher's Answer:

Originally Answered: Why aren’t we still domesticating new animals? We are to a certain degree. The Siberian fox experiment was designed to produce tame, domestic foxes. It was a folly on behalf of a Russian Oligarch who funded a fox fur farm to selectively breed the friendliest foxes. Outside of that I pretty much just agree with John Milhavens answer, replacement of animal power with machine power and low hanging fruit in term

Answer 4

We are domesticating new animals! Not just foxes, every animal now kept in zoos is undergoing selective breeding, even though unintentional, for surviving in domesticated life. Elephants, panda bears, ibex, camels, any animal that we keep in captivity or use for any purpose is undergoing selection for survival in human captivity.

Look at wild turkeys; when we release wild turkeys into new or former ranges we have to be extremely careful not to introduce any even slightly domesticated turkey lines as the released birds would lack the skills needed to survive in the wild.

Any insect raised in a lab (mice, fruit flies, zebra fish) are undergoing selection for survival in human modified environments.

What is being missed in the other answers is the long time periods usually needed for complete domestication. Many of the animals we now keep in captivity have only been captive for a few tens or hundreds of years, while dogs and cats have been associated with us for tens of thousands of years.

Shouldn't cockroaches also be considered "domesticated" since they now are dependent on humans for survival?

Answer 5

Possibly we have evolved beyond the belief that we have carte blanche in respect of ther lives of other beings. Cats and dogs, horses parrots and some rodents - chinchillas, hamstesr etc. - have been bred for sometime in human society, so some argue that they would not exist in their present forms, in the wild.

But even that should be curtailed and licenses issued to all pet owners, issuing them with a Duty of Care that has legal consequences for the neglect, mistreatment and any harm they may be found guilty of, in respect of animals, with hefty fines and even imprisonment, for deliberate cruelty and extreme neglect.

Answer 6

Why some animals can never be domesticated. Dogs, sheep, pigs, cows, horses - all these animals and more have been fundamentally changed by humans to make our lives better. Domestication has fundamentally altered the course of human history, reshaping the land and other species to fit our new agricultural lifestyle

Answer 7

Dogs, sheep, pigs, cows, horses - all these animals and more have been primally changed by humans to make our lives better.Domestication has fundamentally altered the course of human history, reshaping the land and other species to fit our new agricultural lifestyle.

Answer 8

Because most animals are not suited for domestication. Look at all the people attacked by their pet tigers, crocodiles, bears etc.

Answer 9

i dont know..... mabye because our classic domesicated animals aren't enough for people. IT'S 2020 PEOPLE!!! 2020!!!!