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4: The Domestication of Wildlife

  • Page ID
    114252

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    A golden retriever stands in a wooded area, looking very majestic

    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): End result of thousands of years of domestication - a golden retriever. Dirk Vorderstraße, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The switch from hunting and gathering to domestication of wildlife and plant resources started about 12,000 years ago, and greatly changed the course of human history. Many species of animal no longer "count" as wildlife, but instead, are considered domesticated animals. As humans, we provide for them, and they provide for us.

    Learning Objectives
    • Explain how different species of wildlife have been domesticated over human history. 
    • Explain the reasons why humans have domesticated wildlife. 


    This page titled 4: The Domestication of Wildlife is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Karen Moody and Al Gonzalez (Open Educational Resource Initiative at Evergreen Valley College) .

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