For thousands of years, people have tried to domesticate or tame animals, but out of all the diversity of species, only a few have succeeded in making them their faithful helpers: dogs, horses, pigs, cows, chickens, sheep, goats, cats, and turkeys.
Zebra
The first attempts to domesticate zebras were made by colonists in the 19th century, as their horses were dying and there was no way to bring in new ones.
But all attempts were doomed to failure. These are very shy animals.
They run away at the first sign of danger, and when someone tries to catch them, they become aggressive and start fighting back with their hooves.
Great white shark
Attempts to make friends with her also failed - in captivity, the shark lives only a few days, and then dies (the longest period is 16 days).
In an aquarium, she bangs her head against the walls until she dies or is released, and becomes extremely aggressive.
Because sharks need space and movement, even the largest water tanks are too small for them.
Dingo
These animals had previously been domesticated by humans, but then became wild again.
They look like ordinary dogs, but they have very little in common. Local residents consider them pests.
Elk
Even Charles XI tried to domesticate the elk to replace the cavalry with a more aggressive and intimidating one.
But it turned out to be too dangerous and uncontrollable, especially during mating season. Breeding them for meat also failed, as the moose won't go to the slaughterhouse if the first animal doesn't return.
In Russia, there are still farms where moose milk production has been established.
Raccoon
Good candidates for domestication. They are very intelligent, but aggressive and dangerous. When hungry or angry, they bite hard.
They have very dexterous front paws, which they use like hands, making them expert escape artists.
Fox
Foxes are very stubborn and difficult to tame.
In Russia, experiments to domesticate them have been underway since the 1950s, with the first successes occurring only after four generations. The animals respond to gestures, hear people, and exhibit dog-like behavior. However, they can still only be called tame, not domesticated.
Elephant
Although elephants have been domesticated for over 3,000 years, there has been no selective breeding.
To this day, they are trained wild animals whose behavior can be unpredictable.
Hippopotamus
They are one of the most dangerous animals, killing more people annually than lions and leopards.
Attempts to domesticate them ended with the hippopotamus attacking the owner.
There's a category of animals that humans have managed to tame, but not domesticate. They're bred in captivity, but are still too dangerous to be considered pets. Perhaps in the future, humans will find common ground with them.
