Why Exotic Animals Can Never Really be ‘Pets’

The domestication of animals (and plants) was born out of somewhat of a necessity for

early hunter-gatherers. The process of domestication modifies a species genetically through selective breeding and ultimately allows humans to have control over an animal’s behavior.

For years, we have successfully kept dozens of species of wild animals alive in captive settings, although the debate over whether or not they’re thriving is one for another day. The process of simply keeping wild animals in captivity does not mean the species as a whole has been domesticated, nor does it mean that a specific individual is domesticated. They’re merely “tamed” and this is usually done by way of abuse, fear, or starvation.

Biologist, author, and University of California Los Angeles professor Jared Diamond references the elephant in captivity which has been captured from the wild for years and trained using a number of techniques, most of which utilize bull hooks electric prods and chains. The elephant, in this case, has been tamed, not domesticated.

According to Diamond, there are six restrictions wild animals need to pass in order for domestication to be attainable. Without even just one of these traits, the likelihood that domestication can occur lessens.

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