Posted on 11/14/2010 5:55:19 AM PST by stillafreemind
Gerald Rushton was killed by his pet European red stag deer. While feeding the animal he was attacked by the buck and was stomped and gored by it. This was all witnessed by his granddaughter who immediately ran to get Mrs. Rushton who then called 911 for help.
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The buck stopped there.
That kinda sucks..
Regardless of how cute and fuzzy they are when little, wild animals do not make good pets, especially large wild animals. You can’t domesticate a wild animal just because you catch it when it’s a baby. Neutering might help but down deep they are still wild. I’m sure there have been exceptions but it’s not worth the risk.
This also applies to all large animals, even domesticated animals, during breeding season. I had a 2,000 pound Beefmaster bull that was a pet but when the cows came in heat you’d better stay out of the pasture. Any other time we could ride him, brush him and do anything with him but during breeding season he was a terror.
I appraised a house in michigan on acreage. They had two deer penned up. I looked and the bucks antlers were sawed off. I ask why and the wife told me that the deer attacked her husband. So he called his brother they roped hog tied the deer and removed them. This was in October. So I believe it.
Your response is fascinating. I wonder what would happen if you took a wild animal raised in captivity as a “pet” and bred it only with other wild animals raised in the same manner. If you did that for several generations, would the wildness be bred out?
I had a Doberman Pinscher that came from a long line of domesticated Dobermans. He was a wonderful, wonderful pet, companion, and friend. But, when push came to shove, genetics won out, and Baron was still a Dobie.
My wife said something similar the other day.
Sure seems mighty early for the rut to start,,,
Ain’t had many long cold nights...
We’re starting to see them now. Cold is upon us the last 2-3 days so the boys are on the move lookin’ for lovin’.
Captivity isn’t the key. You must also kill off the animals with the sharpest teeth, the strongest horns, the most aggressive dispositions, the longest mouth, ....... so you’ll want to try: http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS375&q=russia+fox+domestication&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=
These stories remind us of the remarkable skill of our ancestors in successfully domesticating wild animals for food, skins and milk. The breeding and culling took centuries - we could still learn basic common sense from them.
Sadly, this guy leaves a daughter who will have nightmares for the rest of her life - just because he thought he knew more than the experts (who warned him several times).
It would take several generations and it would still be risky. Dogs originate from wolves but have been crossbred for thousands of years to be trustworthy pets. The instincts that would allow them to survive in the wild has mostly been bred out but a few still have the pack survival instinct.
Wild animals that have been in captivity for only 100 years or so are still mostly wild. Take American Bison for example. People have been raising them in captivity for generations but they still retain a lot of “wild” and can’t be trusted. Wolf/dog hybrids are popular but they are dangerous IMO because they are a very confused animal. You never know part you will see in every situation.
IMO, no animal, domesticated or not, is completely trustworthy during breeding season. Even perfectly raised dogs can be different when breeding or raising pups. I’ve lived on a farm all my life and raised cattle, horses and hogs. You never turn your back on a bull, a boar hog or a stud horse during breeding season. :-)
Thank you. So apparently there is some small hope for the miscreants in our midst.
Thank you for your real-world insights. This is why I always turn to FR’s “Broadband Journalists” for my news and analysis.
I showed 34 last night and down to 31 last week,,,
Maybe that breed is different,,,
The whitetails haven’t started yet,,,
The kids reported last
week that there was no signs of scrapes or rubs,,,
They left out friday with their Parade to try again,,,
They have taked 5 good bucks in 3 years out of my old spot.
Thanks for that! The interesting part of the article is that they only bred “friendly” foxes to each other over 50 years to get offspring that had that genetic trait. Their physical appearance also changed over 50 years so that they no longer resembled wild foxes. Fifty years is a lot of generations in fox life span. Most wild animals that are raised in captivity aren’t raised that way. They are just plucked out of the wild with no consideration to personality traits. I’m sure it would make a big difference if they were bred over several generations by selective breeding. Even domestic dogs can be bred that way to insure that only the best traits are passed on to future generations. Unfortunately, not all breeders are good breeders.
That was no White Tail that got him...He must have imported it...It was a European Red Stag..There is a picture with the article...look at the spread on it.
Deer are dangerous animals irrespective of what you may see in a petting zoo.
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