Petting a lion in South Africa? (page 4 of 10)

Hello, Thanks for this very informative post! It’s clear that people absolutely need to understand that wild animals aren’t meant to be petted but to remain wild... A lion cub is not a cat.

Hi Michèle, Absolutely, A great watch for families who are passionate (and those who aren’t) A beautiful illustration, despite a few weaknesses in the narration:

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_et_le_Lion_blanc

The director Gilles de Maistre worked with zoologist Kevin Richardson to film a teenager with a big cat over three years, from birth to adulthood. In her relationship with this young girl, who is the film’s actress, the safety and power of the image come from the fact that the relationship is real in real life..... What the film denounces is the exploitation of animals, the hunting of wild animals for money, and the destruction of nature. Many documentaries do this, but they’re aimed at a more limited audience....

https://youtu.be/g9zPEy2KaPQ

A lion cub is not a cat.

Before being domesticated, the cat was wild... just like the wolf was before becoming a dog. The same goes for cattle, horses, and all farm animals and poultry. So why not lions or cheetahs too?

But why do you want to domesticate them? I think it’s better not to make these animals dependent on humans! Isn’t it more beautiful to imagine (or see) them in their natural environment, in a pack, hunting on their own?

But why do you want to domesticate them? I think it’s better not to make these animals dependent on humans!

Oh, but I don’t want anything at all. I’m just stating a fact: wild animals have been domesticated by humans. Cats, wolves, horses, cattle, sheep, poultry, wild boars, some birds of prey, and others I’m forgetting—so maybe before they disappear completely from the planet, which I feel is very close for cheetahs, for example, and later lions, rhinos, etc., it’ll become a necessity...

But why do you want to domesticate them? I think it’s better not to make these animals dependent on humans!

Oh, but I don’t want anything at all. I’m just stating a fact: Wild animals have been domesticated by humans. Cats, wolves, horses, cattle, sheep, poultry, wild boars, some birds of prey, and others I’m forgetting—so maybe before their total disappearance from the planet, which I feel is very near, cheetahs, for example, and later lions, rhinos, etc., it’ll become a necessity...

Who knows. Besides, taking advantage of the temporary absence of some fierce participants, can’t we acknowledge another fact: It might be easier to pet a lion in Africa than to pet an African in Lyon. You’ll probably come up with an appropriate response, while in the meantime, I’ll have bolted into the savanna, tail between my legs, obviously.

Neither the wolf nor the wild boar were domesticated. If the rhinoceros had been domesticable, Hannibal would have come with them. That same Hannibal only had a few elephants at his disposal, from an extinct species very different from the classic African elephant. One of the peculiarities of Africa and the Americas is that there are virtually no domesticable species: Not the buffalo, Not the zebra, No animal providing traction power. Same in South America. They knew about the wheel but had nothing to pull a cart. And since they missed out on the wheelbarrow... A little Sunday reading: Jared Diamond

Neither the wolf nor the boar were domesticated

Dogs, pigs.

Wolves aren’t dogs Boars aren’t pigs And vice versa

Oh, okay. I didn't know.

Wild animals have been domesticated by humans.

Originally for pragmatic reasons for humans. Wolves and wild cats also gained something from it. When it comes to cattle, sheep, etc., they didn’t gain anything, but humans (the population as a whole) did. But what’s the point of domesticating lions or cheetahs? Letting people pet them when they’re cubs and then offering them to wealthy hunters when they become too much of a handful? That only benefits a tiny minority, not a large part of the population... And then we’re surprised there are too many herbivores and small carnivores because they no longer have predators... Muriel

A wild animal can be tamed Humans create a domestic animal through selective breeding From this tamed animal Dogs are therefore the creation of a new animal It’s true this might seem like nitpicking But in previous posts, the question came up (should we revisit it?) about domesticating lions Which in itself is either utopian You’d have to tame it first, then create a domestic version A wild animal remains a wild animal Cheetahs are more tamable But even the Egyptians gave up on creating a domestic version Anyway You don’t pet a lion You leave it in the bush, where we hope it can stay for a long time

But what's the point of domesticating lions or cheetahs? Letting people pet them when they're cubs and then offering them to wealthy hunters when they become too much of a handful? It only concerns a tiny minority, not a large part of the population...

As I mentioned, the cheetah is endangered—or at least, that’s what I’ve read—but maybe we’ll manage to save it?... Otherwise, the only other option is domestication, or rather the "zoological park" where people come to pet them... Not me, though—I don’t see any appeal in it, whether it’s paid or free. I was actually a bit surprised reading this post that so many people could be interested! Yet, that’s clearly the case, because if it were only a tiny minority, no one would bother breeding them, just like with lion or elephant hunting in private "reserves."

Neither the wolf nor the wild boar were ever domesticated

Is this new?

Until recently, it was simply impossible to determine the origin of dogs. Then molecular biology settled the question: dogs are descended from wolves and wolves alone, and La Fontaine’s lovely phrase turned out to be prophetic!

www.pourlascience.fr/...ion-du-loup-7099.php

descending from the lopu, not a wolf. you re-read and you'll understand

What I understand from your reasoning is that once an animal is domesticated, it’s no longer a wild animal, so a wild animal can’t be domesticated... weird.

Otherwise, I wonder if a man who goes to McDonald’s is still a *Homo sapiens sapiens*, or if he’s also undergone some kind of "domestication." And if it was inevitable that other mammals would be dragged into the same transformation to survive ecological upheavals?

One thing’s for sure—people who eat at McDonald’s often go through quite the transformation!

once domesticated, an animal is no longer a wild animal, so a wild animal is not domesticable.... weird

There’s no cause-and-effect link in your sentence. I agree with the first part, but your conclusion seems "weird" to me.

What I understood from Michel’s point is that dogs are the domesticated version of wolves, but the two species are quite distinct. And this is scientifically confirmed—when a wolf is captured in France, genetic analyses are always carried out to determine its strain (Spanish, Italian, or Romanian) or even if it’s a hybrid (crossed with a domestic dog) from the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation. Even though dogs and wolves are genetically close enough to mate, their differences are significant enough to distinguish them clearly. The same goes for wild boars and pigs.

I agree with the first part of your sentence, but your conclusion seems "weird" to me.

That’s how I understand Michel’s reasoning.

And the two winners of the contest are...

One of the peculiarities of Africa and the Americas is that there are virtually no domesticable species. No buffalo. No zebra. No animal providing traction power. Same in South America.

Where did you get this information? For example, you can find domesticated llamas in the Andes, and they strangely resemble the wild guanacos that were domesticated in the past... even if they are now, as you mentioned earlier about other animals, two different species. Just like wild horses and domestic horses (are they genetically different, by the way?). Similarly, from the wild cheetah, we could have a domesticated species in the future. The Egyptians abandoned the project, sure, but future lovers of this feline who regularly visit reserves to pet them will probably succeed one day... In my opinion, when you start wanting to pet a wild animal—even if it’s a strange idea (to me)—it’s somehow the beginning of the domestication process rearing its head...

But in previous posts, the topic (should we revisit it?) was about domesticating lions. Which in itself is either utopian

Today’s utopia could very well be tomorrow’s reality, sooner or later...