In its proper sense, animal domestication means the process of transformation from wild to domestic animals. However, the term is also used to denominate the domestic status of animals. It derives from the Latin word for house - domus - and indicates that domestic animals are incorporated into the human household. This means that important aspects of their livelihood (like behavior, nutrition, reproduction, range of movements, life span, etc.) are under human control and that humans at their will can use domestic animals for whatever is possible. In contrast, wild animals are independent in all these respects. While freedom to us appears as a very important aspect of life, it should not be forgotten that domestic animals also have enormous advantages over their wild conspecifics. Human control also includes protection against predation, starvation, uncontrolled population growth, negative climatic influences, and so on. Well-managed domesticates can reach population levels far above those of their wild conspecifics using similar environments. In addition, they often can expand with human support to geographical regions and environments, which are not accessible for the wild forms. Therefore, within the biological system of concepts, animal domestication can be described as a special form of symbiosis between humans and certain animals, which has advantages for both participating species.
Scientific explanation of the evolutionary processes leading to the development of symbiotic relationships is always a challenge for the biologist. In the case of explaining the origins of animal domestication this is even more complex, because those who want to understand the domestication processes are themselves involved as ‘domesticators’. Therefore the biological system of concepts is not sufficient for a scientific approach to the historical understanding of animal domestication. Such an approach must be compatible with the concepts of cultural anthropology as well.
World History
