Challenge #00510 - A135: The Wolf's Just a Puppy

Also about domesticated animals.

Almost every domesticated species, whether predator or prey, has been a social animal, with an internal hierarchy. Humans domesticated them by inserting ourselves at the top of the various hierarchies, and doing so consistently for generations, until the species is considered domesticated.

This can lead to absurd scenarios such as a human chastising a predator-species that was behaving inappropriately, one that masses more than they do, with a jaw that could shatter their bones easily, can outrun them - or, indeed, run them down - with ease, and is stronger than they are, by wrestling them to the ground and making noises at them. Said predator-animal is closely related to pack-hunting apex predators that were some of early civilisation’s most feared foes.

And then the mad human lets the animal up, and rather than rip their throat out for their temerity, it behaves contritely, as if the human had any capability to enforce their wishes upon it. Not only that, but within minutes the human and the predator will be playing games together! Games in which the predator has to be so very careful not to injure the human, even games in which the human deliberately provokes the predator! [Ed: tug-of-war with the rope, etc. NOT abuse] – RecklessPrudence

“Yeah, she’s still a predator,” said the human scratching the tiger’s ear. “She’s known me since she was a baby. I’m family. She won’t eat family.”

As if to punctuate the point, the tiger wrapped her mouth around an arm and pretended to bite and maul. All the human did was boop its nose and the animal let go and started licking apologetically.

“It’s all about socialisation. Now tigers need a large enclosure and lots of their own space, but in ten generations? We’ll have a species of tiger who can be house pets.” The human resumed scratching the tiger. “It sounds ludicrous, but it’s almost guaranteed to save the species.”

And that was how the aliens learned that humans wanted every possible animal as pets. Some were easier than others, of course. But the rising suspicion was already growing.

Show a human something dangerous and deadly, and they will figure out a way to domesticate it and turn it to their own purposes.

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