Англ

Domestication of Animals

Domestication of animals is more than taming. Their habitat is restricted, protection assured, food supply maintained, and most important, breeding of farm animals is done under human management and control.

In general animals have been domesticated for the following three purposes: as a sourse of food, clothing, etc., as assistants used in various human activities, or as pets.

The usefulness of animals domesticated may vary. For instance, European and many other peoples breed cows for obtaining milk and beef, but the Chinese do not milk cows, and Hindus do not eat beef.

The origin of domestication is unknown. The dog is likely to be most distributed and variably used domesticated animal. It assists hunting, draws sledges in Northern parts of Russia and America, a hairless type is bred for producing food in Mexico and elsewhere, while the specialized purposes for which dogs have been used are too numerous to mention.

Cattle are the most important of the animals domesticated by man and next to the dog, the most ancient. Domesticated cattle belong to the family Bovidae, which also includes the buffalo, the bison, yak, zebu and some others. Domestication of cattle has had varying degrees of success, from half-wild buffaloes to the tame British Jersey. Cattle were at first used and developed as draft animals and as suppliers of milk and were usually used for food only when no longer useful for the purposes mentioned. Only in very recent times have cattle been raised to be eaten.

The tractor has now replaced the cattle that supplied most of the farm draft power until after the turn of the 20^th century. Draft cows have practically disappeared except in a few backward and remote areas. The last representative of the wild cattle in Europe died at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The horse was perhaps domesticated in Central Asia.

In addition to the animals mentioned above there are some other animals that have been successfully domesticated by man. They are fowls, camels, bees and others.

Great physical changes have taken place in domesticated animals. Now they differ considerably in colour, form, size, etc. from their related wild forms. Great experience has been gained by scientists in improving stocks, using selection, crossbreeding and inbreeding.

Some possibilities for domestication may still exist. Perhaps fur-bearing animals, such as mink and foxes are now being domesticated in the same slow way as cattle and sheep were many thousand years ago.

19. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

    1. Whose management is breeding farm animals done under?

    2. What purposes have animals been domesticated for?

    3. Is the origin of domestication unknown?

    4. What can you say about domestication of cattle?

    5. What animals does the family Bovidae include?

    6. In what way were cattle at first used?

    7. When did the last representative of wild cattle in Europe die?

    8. Where was the horse domesticated?

    9. What other animals have been successfully domesticated by man?

    10. How do domesticated animals differ from their related wild forms?

    11. Are there any possibilities for domestication wild animals now?