Who Dislikes Wild Animals Such As Rats And Rabbits

Melissa cares for a variety of exotic animals and has completed a certificate in veterinary assisting and a bachelor'south degree in biology.

Why Domestication Has Naught to Practise With How Dangerous Pets Are

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Differences Between Wildlife and Domesticated Animals

It is very mutual to hear people say things similar "Yous can take the creature out of the wild but you can't take the wild out of the animal," or an even more ridiculous argument: "All wildlife tin can be dangerous." You might have even heard some people state that wildlife are dangerous, period. Compared to what, exactly?

I'll permit you in on a surprising secret. So-called wildlife are not all dangerous in captivity, and some so-chosen domesticated animals are. This is an indisputable fact. If you don't believe this, I can hands prove it.

What Is the Definition of a Wild Fauna?

A wild brute is an creature that lives in the wild, costless from homo influence. Hither are three wild animals that are completely harmless to humans:

• the green frog (Lithobates clamitans)
• the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)
• the eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus)

Definitions Matter

And then what'due south up with these statements exclaiming that wild animals are dangerous?

At present concur on a 2d, when we said "wild animal" we meant animals like tigers, sharks, and crocodiles, not little frogs!

Well, gee how was I supposed to know that? Why do groups similar the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) use the words "wild animal" and "large, unsafe, wild animal" interchangeably?

According to HSUS: "Wildlife tin can attack and spread disease, and the average pet possessor cannot provide the intendance they need in captivity." All the same, animal rights organizations are not worried about existence accurate with their statements considering they are mostly confronting the ownership of animals; therefore, the numerous exceptions are non really important to them.

Compare and Contrast Domesticated and Wild Animals

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Exotic Pets Are Non "Wildlife"

I don't believe the term "wild fauna" should exist used to draw human-habituated, tame animals because their behavior is vastly unlike from animals that are parent-raised without humans.

Wild fauna are animals that were born and raised in natural weather condition. Animals living with and raised past humans that are not domesticated should simply be referred to every bit not-domesticated animals. "Tame, wild beast" is as well acceptable.

Taming refers to a normally wild-natured brute that has been socialized with humans then that it is tolerant and relatively docile in the presence of humans. Still, since some domesticated animals are not tame when raised in the wild, all domesticated animals cannot technically be considered tame as well.

This Beliefs Is Not Typical of Wildlife

What Is the Significant of Domestication?

Nearly every version of what "domestication" means to well-nigh people is invalid. Here are a few examples of what many think a "domesticated animal" is that can easily be disproven by presenting examples of species to which it doesn't apply:

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4 Common Misconceptions About Domesticated Animals

1. Domesticated animals tin can't survive in the wild.

Utterly untrue. In fact, domesticated animals are some of the best survivors—reproducing invasively in environments that are not their own (feral cats, horses, swine) while many "wild animals" fail at doing then. That is why we practice not release captive animals without extensive rehabilitation. In many cases, feral, domesticated animals take caused various wild animals to become extirpated.

2. Domesticated animals are tame or skilful-natured.

Bulls or intact cattle (Bos taurus) are known to exist dangerous and aggressive. Why? Because just like many "wild" animals, they have instincts and raging hormones. Domesticated mink are also extremely dangerous for their size.

3. Domesticated animals recognize humans as part of their social structure.

Not simply is this common in whatever social mammal or bird as long as it has been manus-raised, but even some solitary animals like bobcats and tigers will bond with their owner to the aforementioned level equally any domesticated true cat. Alternatively, cats that are not hand-raised do not accept human ownership, simply as a wild animate being doesn't. If it is not in the nature of the animal to be part of a bureaucracy, similar fancy mice or goldfish, for instance, this behavior will not spring up due to domestication.

4. Domestication takes thousands of years.

The Russian fox experiment produced significantly tamer argent foxes in only 50 years.

The Correct Definition of Domestication

Here is the but consistently acceptable way to define the arbitrary concept of domestication:

This definition and but this definition fits every and then-called domesticated animate being. Notice that this definition does not include any measure of tameness, welfare in captivity, house-living, or any measure of generations needed to produce the result. If the genetic change and better suitability for human use are present, the animate being can be considered domesticated. Information technology needn't be as physically and psychologically unique from its starting point as a wolf and a Shih Tzu.

Domesticated animals may take certain traits in common such every bit convenance well in captivity, having easy-to-meet dietary needs, and reaching maturity chop-chop, only this is not unique to them. These animals are not native to whatsoever location because their genes are human-selected vs. naturally selected. Hybridization can likewise outcome in this case.

Captive Convenance

Some animals, like golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are extensively bred in captivity merely are not genetically different beyond some insignificant alterations due to the founder effect; therefore, they are technically not domesticated. This ways that when someone says "wildlife are dangerous to keep as pets," they are too talking about hamsters.

Both gilt hamsters and tigers are not-domesticated animals that are frequently bred in captivity. Other animals thought to be domesticated but probably aren't include cockatiels, ball pythons, budgies, gerbils, and dwarf hamsters.

A Scottish wild cat on branch (this is likewise a "wild" brute).

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The Domesticated True cat Fallacy

Some cat owners might tell you lot that cats are "less domesticated" than dogs due to their independent nature. This is completely untrue. As I've discussed to a higher place, the concept of "more or less domesticated" is invalid.

Cats are different from dogs. Domestication has goose egg to do with dog-like beliefs (although a few feline breeds are genetically more than tame and passive). The domesticated true cat is genetically different from its original ancestor and is more suitable for the office humans have bred it for. That'southward all it takes!

Why Aren't Domesticated Pets Dangerous?

Equally outlined earlier, some domesticated animals can exist a threat to homo rubber or fifty-fifty considered dangerous—only as a full general rule, many of the animals that we consider non-dangerous in comparison to so-chosen wild animals have all descended from wild fauna that are not that dangerous, relatively speaking.

To clarify, a tiger is considered a dangerous wild animal and a domesticated cat is non. Are tigers more unsafe because they aren't domesticated? No! Tigers are dangerous because they are over 800 pounds of pure, cannibal muscle, having evolved to take down casualty much larger than itself. Fully grown tigers are larger and stronger than the largest, strongest domestic dog.

Domesticated cats and their ancestors (the African wild cat) could non kill a human if they tried (cats can and have attacked humans). To reiterate, domesticated cats were never "dangerous" to brainstorm with. Let'due south await at the evolutionary history of some other popular domesticated animals.

Wolf and Dog

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Wolves vs. Dogs

The domesticated dog is the quintessential model for domestication for most people. No other species exhibits as much behavioral, psychological, and morphological variation. This might be the reason people confuse domestication every bit a process that involves aiming to reach what has been done with dogs. But dogs are unique, and they are the only large carnivore that has been domesticated.

Dogs have descended from an extinct wolf-like canid that shares a common ancestor with the extant grey wolf. Through the mechanism of neoteny, which means the retentiveness of juvenile traits that were induced through many generations of selective breeding, dogs take adopted a very potent psychological connexion to humans.

How this happened is very controversial, just nosotros can deduce that the dog'south (likely more than 1) wolf-similar ancestors were a population of animals with a high tolerance toward human presence, and perhaps, unlike some populations of wolves such as those that terrorized France in earlier centuries, were a lot less dangerous.

Wolves as Animal Ambassadors

Fifty-fifty the gray wolves of today are touted equally more often than not harmless toward humans in the wild, and merely ii reported deaths from wild wolves have occurred in N America in the last 100 years. Dissimilar big cats, wolves are common "ambassador animals" that respectable zoos and conservation societies trust on a leash effectually the public (cheetahs pose a similar or smaller hazard to humans, only they can't be domesticated because they breed poorly in captivity).

Of course, but similar regular dogs, wolves have the potential to attack due to various factors. Some domesticated dogs are more ambitious than wolves because we take channeled that territorial instinct into our desired effect. Dogs are a mixed purse of different wild instincts re-shaped and re-directed for the purpose of domestication. Domesticated dogs can become more dangerous if they are unsocialized and grade coalitions due to the pack instinct, which wolves, of class, are predisposed toward.

Wild Boar and Domesticated Pig

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Wild Boars vs. Pigs

The ancestor of the domesticated grunter is the wild boar (Sus scrofa), and while they rarely attack humans in the wild, they practice possess the ability to attack and kill. Some accept done this near often during the rutting flavor in January and February. However, the main danger of wild boars is due to their weaponry, which are long, protruding canines that are used for fighting. Luckily for us, our selective breeding has resulted in reduced (merely not eliminated) aggression and no canine teeth.

Aurochs and Domesticated Cattle

DFoidl, CC Past-SA iii.0, Wikipedia

Aurochs vs. Cattle

Domestic cattle, whose ancestors are extinct wild cattle (Bos primigenius), cannot exist hands bred to be hornless, so in gild to achieve a less dangerous animal, the horns are removed early on in the animal's life. Castration is likewise commonly skilful in livestock animals—a procedure that may lower assailment.

During the rutting flavour, domesticated male camels can be somewhat unsafe to handle if they aren't castrated. (Similarly, studies have shown that many canis familiaris bite incidences were committed by non-neutered dogs.) And then what skilful is "domestication" for man safety if animals must be mutilated before they tin be considered non-dangerous?

Not-Graphic De-Horning Video

Why Size Matters

Another giant factor I've discussed here is the absurdity of not taking into business relationship size when it comes to the danger an animal may nowadays. Regardless of disposition, large animals tin can all be fatal to humans. Every large domesticated animal (equus caballus, moo-cow, camel, big canis familiaris) has caused human fatalities.

Therefore, when someone brings up that a large not-domesticated brute (such every bit killer whales, whose captivity has suffered immense criticism) has in one case killed someone, that is not an argument that they are more or less dangerous than a domesticated creature. There is an inherent risk with all animals that are large and strong. The larger and stronger the animal, the bigger the risk.

Surroundings Likewise Shapes Animal Beliefs

As I tirelessly bring up, animals are not merely robots that are programmed to behave ane way. Not-domesticated animals that are mitt-raised and socialized past humans are probable to be drastically unlike from their wild counterparts. This is why it is silly to compare house cats to animals that be in the wild. A proper comparison of the traits of domesticated cats and their wild counterparts would take to take into business relationship their environment. Therefore, feral cats should be compared to African wild cats and feral dogs with wolves. Nosotros will then see that the behavior and psychologies of these species will grade more parallels.

Having ample food and existence away from the pressures of nature also change animals. Some animals likely retain juvenile traits into adulthood (not genetically) when they are non forced out of the nest/den to hunt for themselves in natural conditions. This can pb to increased sociability, play behavior, and reduced prey drive. No wonder people visit zoos and often exclaim that wolves and tigers deed "just like my dog/cat!"

A Cheetah and Domesticated Dog at Play

Mike, CC Past-ND 2.0, via Flickr

What Makes Some Animals More than Dangerous Than Others?

A combination of size, disposition, territoriality, how the keeping of the animal is traditionally good, and the physical weaponry of the brute is what makes some animals more than dangerous than others. In other words, place any fauna capable of harm with a man that is not willing to or doesn't sympathise its behavior, regardless of domestication, and disaster can strike.

More Reading

• Height 10 Well-nigh Dangerous Exotic Pets | Get the Facts
  Captive wild animal attacks often make the news. Find out which exotic pets kept in private homes are the most dangerous.

This content is accurate and true to the all-time of the author'south knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional person.

© 2014 Melissa A Smith

Precious on May 05, 2020:

it is very cute

KuteKat on April 23, 2020:

Amazing the best loved it total thumbs up

Madame Rose Peony on June 03, 2019:

Delight,would you write something about feral animals?

Steve on May 28, 2018:

Excellent article! I'm Native American and unfortunately live in a urban center in Connecticut. I have a very 'green' yard with many tree'due south, shrubs and other growth and then it's sort of an 'oasis' for many animals. My neighbors all dislike me intensely because they're 'in love' with their lawns, hate tree's, bushes & shrubs or wild flowers which thrive in my yard! Especially in the winter.. I put food out for all the animals who do not 'hibernate' and am re-payed by higher levels of 'trust' that I consider a great honor & privilege! Unfortunately, nosotros alive in an era where an entire generation ( or two ) of children no longer are taught, know or intendance about wildlife ( at least in these parts ) equally they're never outdoors but on their 'dumb phones' indoors- fifty-fifty on summer vacation from schoolhouse... Sorry.. A couple summers ago, a woman who walks her canis familiaris past my home said to me, 'Do y'all know you have a baby flim-flam living in your large shed??' I told her 'No... but it must be in that location for a reason like maybe got separated from information technology's mother, or to evade someone's domestic dog' and she and then said, 'But they accept RABIES'... which I and then explained to her (not that information technology made a dent in her) that according to 'authorities'.. EVERY animal in the wild had 'rabies' and information technology's only Not true'.. She hasn't spoken to me since! After that day, I did see a young fox (not a infant) poke it'south head out from a space between the doors & stare at me, then quickly retreat. It was gone by the side by side day, and I felt glad it had taken upwards very temporary residence in my 'safe' shed where it might of run- from one of the neighbors dogs. I have ferrets which I accept rescued/adopted for many, many years. To me? Having them is similar i of the closest things to being up close & personal with their wild cousins ( mink, ermine, skunks etc, etc ) and I wouldn't merchandise them for most homo companionship every bit similar all animals, they aren't 'evil' & do no 'evil' in thought, discussion or deed like many conniving-self centered people.. Ferrets ( especially younger ones ) are LIGHTENING FAST and to watch mine all run through the entire firm ( upstairs & down ) Not caged as I have thoroughly 'ferret-proofed' all potential 'safety issues'.. helps these intelligent, affectionate animals live much longer as they need to exercise all the muscles in their bodies. Again, splendid- well written article which I greatly enjoyed!

person here 2day on November 17, 2017:

I like this article. Especially the part virtually how this animal or that animal tin can't be kept as a pet because "it took thousands of years to domesticate dogs." That is conspicuously not true and the Russian fox experiment is the perfect example of that!

Melissa A Smith (writer) from New York on March 22, 2017:

No.

Sara on March 21, 2017:

The only problem I have is, wouldn't animals be happier out in the wild instead of in a muzzle which is kind of like a prision?

Joshua on April 02, 2015:

Domestic cats put near 10k people in the hospital a yr with about 25% resulting in deaths, with out access to modernistic medicine that num would be ridiculously college. the biggest misnomers used with whatsoever fauna regardless of origin is harmless and tame. There are no such thing as tame or harmless animals. Even a pet mouse tin identify a person in the hospital from a bite. Animals can exist amazingly tolerant and fifty-fifty friendly but never loose the instinct to defend themselves and therefore capable of harm. otherwise the article has some good points.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on Nov 10, 2014:

Yes Ann that could potentially be very dangerous, and every time someone loses an arm when petting big cats the existence of them in captivity gets a bad name. Tigers can kill in seconds, or even tear off artillery earlier anyone could react to protect you. Glad goose egg happened.

Ann1Az2 from Orange, Texas on November 10, 2014:

I had the privilege of petting a tiger once. The man had it in a huge muzzle, although not nearly large enough in my interpretation. When the tiger sort of growled low at me, I withdrew my hand from the argue, merely the man said he was just purring, which the tiger proved when he came up to the fence wanting more petting. I would have crawled in with him merely because of liability problems, his owner wouldn't let me. Yet, it was a thrill. He weighed 650 pounds and his paws were as large as saucers. What astonished me the most was that he was equally soft as a business firm cat.

Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on Nov 08, 2014:

That is unfortunate.

craftybegonia from Southwestern, United States on Nov 08, 2014:

We had a neighbor who built a swimming pool to enhance alligators in information technology. We had our doubts about that...fortunately, the project never saw its completion.

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