History Main / AllAnimalsAreDomesticated

In fiction, wild animals rarely act the way that they do in real life. Those hilarious ComicRelief chimpanzees and their hilarious antics? Never once do they get violent, no matter what (they may get mad for the hero's benefit, though). When animals do get mad, they're usually easily calmed down if just given whatever MacGuffin is necessary. Is a bear rampaging through town? Just give it some honey and everything will be OK. Being a FriendToAllLivingThings can help, but surprisingly often it seems like nearly anyone can calm a wild animal down.

[[HayateTheCombatButler http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tigerbutler_4777.jpg]]

[[AC: RealLife]]
* A very ugly length of fencing was recently erected along the bright green outside walkway of Boston's otherwise very beautiful [[http://www.physics.brown.edu/physics/userpages/students/Michael_Abbott/stuff05/tower.html Custom House]] clock tower. This fence had to be put up because too many tourists were trying to -[[TooDumbToLive so help us]]- ''pet the [[KillerRabbit Peregrine Falcons]]'' who nest there almost every year.
* You get this in many national parks, when [[UpperClassTwit clueless city folk]] fail to realize that it's not just the carnivores that are dangerous. The results play out like a scene from ''LooneyTunes'': tourist gets out of car to photograph mama elk, mama elk does not appreciate the invasion of her personal space, HilarityEnsues.
** There are some great warning signs in Yellowstone National Park with images of people getting chased by bison.
* Worst of all - a law has been passed in a state of Australia against getting too near a whale carcass -- because a group of tourists tried to ''pet the sharks'' feeding on one. [[WallBanger Guh...]] [[YouFailLogicForever buh...]] [[TooDumbToLive muh...]] [[YourHeadAsplode * kerboomies* ]]
* Behold, if you will, the [[strike: king]] queen of this trope. When MamaBear is a '''lioness''', ''[[http://www.darwinawards.com/personal/personal2002-25.html do not mess with her kids.]]''
* If you abruptly stick your hand in a terrarium with a live snake in it, ''you will get bitten.''
** The first thing you should learn about handling snakes is not to make sudden movements towards them. Most snakes will crawl onto your hand if you hold it still, but if you make a grab for the snake it'll just either slither away or try to bite you.
* You haven't lived until you've seen a koala latch onto an American's face, screaming at the top of its lungs.
** [[ReactiveContinuousScream Both in case you're wondering]].
** An American playing with a koala without the advice and supervision of a care professional is hilarious but understandable in an idiot tourist sort of way.
** You haven't lived until you've seen people sunbathing on a sandbank barely three feet from a river on the Daintree where they give ''crocodile tours'', with crocodiles visibly in the water. What ensues is an entire boat full of people yelling at the tourists to move as a hungry crocodile can be seen swimming towards them.
** Sure, Blue Tongue Goannas seem like large, fat, dopey lizards, to the point that they're rather easy to catch. However, this is not recommended, because if you piss it off it will bite ''hard'' and ''never let go''.
* Britain is rather left out in regard to this trope as there are no truly dangerous wild mammals in the country anymore. Even the largest and most dangerous wild creatures, Red Deer, have been semi-domestic for generations. However there are Badgers, and, although you may not believe this, at first, there are people who are stupid enough to try and hug wounded badgers better immediately after hitting them with cars.
** Britain used to have large wild animals, but they were hunted into [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_Britain extinction]]
** They did try to rectify that a bit by breeding boars in captivity and releasing them into the wild. Results went according to this trope; the wild pigs charged around the local district, doing extensive damage, and forcing the breeders to round up and kill the animals. There goes ten years of breeding down the drain.
** The herds of deer in various royal parks often graze quite near the roads that go through them, e.g. Richmond Park. Though they are semi-domesticated, the general attitude is that if you get too near the herd and the stag goes after you, it's your own stupid fault. Oh, and those adorable WILD ponies in Exmoor and Dartmouth? If you like your fingers, don't try to pet them.
* Lest we get to thinking that ''no'' wild animal can ever act tame, here's one of the rare subversions: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCjyWp3rEk Christian the lion, and his reunion with the humans who raised him]]. Despite being adult now, and having lived in the wild with other lions for - was it years? - he greets his old family in the most heartwarming way. And if you watch closely, you'll notice movements that make him seem more like a kitten than a full-grown lion.'
** Even then so, the lion (and his mate) gave very clear signals that the humans should head off after some time. The lioness, in particular, was getting visibly anxious. The main reason why the encounter ended in a good way (besides Christian's unusual friendliness) was because those people were professional handlers who knew how to read the signals.
* This is the very reason that some zoos do not release the little nicknames that the keepers give to the animals they work with. People think they are more friendly if they are named...
* During the murder trial of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_Chamberlain-Creighton Lindy Chamberlain]] (the mother that [[BeamMeUpScotty said]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azaria_Chamberlain_disappearance DINGO ATE MY BABY!]]), the judge, jury, and general public were convinced that wild dingos behave exactly like domesticated dogs. Thanks to the ignorance of (mostly urban dwelling) Aussies on the wildlife of their own homeland, the innocent woman spent 6 years in prison.
** There was also a string of unfortunate incidents in Australia where young children were killed by pit-bulls because people thought dogs bred to fight would be perfectly tame around toddlers.
*** [[DidNotDoTheResearch They should have been]]. Pit bulls were bred for qualities that are useful in pit fights, but they were created by combining breeds of dog ''not'' meant specifically for fighting, and are dogs first and fighters second. Normally, pit bulls are just as sweet as that golden retriever you were cooing at the other day; they have to be specifically trained to be vicious if you want them to fight. So if they're killing toddlers, blame the owners (current or previous), not the dogs. As you may be growing aware, the myth that pit bulls are natural killers is a major BerserkButton for people in the know.
* Subverted with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennec_Fox a certain fox species]]. That's right, everybody, Fennec Foxes can now apparently be domesticated. Keep in mind that these things are considered by the USDA to be on par with Coyotes, Jackals, and Dingoes.
** Not quite. Fennecs need to be hand raised to make good pets, and only do so because they're intelligent opportunistic omnivores that take well to being fed, similar to [[CatsAreMean another small predator we have a longer history with]]. Trying to touch a wild one is about as smart as trying to do so with a feral cat.
*** Not fennecs, but it took roughly sixty years to create the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox domesticated silver fox]] through a series of artificial selections for tameness.
* Geese and Swans despite being quite pretty are known to be quite aggressive. Those things will go after blood if you enter their territory.
** Some geese are actually domesticated, or descended from domesticated species. This does not mean they are always friendly. Some people use geese as ''guard animals.''
* Visitors to Assateague Island National Seashore are immediately met by signs saying '''Wild ponies bite and kick. Keep your distance. Do not feed.''' undoubtedly because of people/children who have watched too much TV and want to get close to the "cute horsies".
** Eh...this one is a partial subversion, actually. On PART of the Island (the Virgina side?) the pony herds (which, strictly speaking, are feral, not wild, like all "wild" equids in North America) the herds are rounded up every year for Pony Penning, given cursory exams, and are handled to some degree. By and large, they're fairly tame, if not broken to handling. Some are desensitized to the point that's a problem, as they'll stick their heads in tents and car windows and mug for handouts. Of course they're also still six- to- eight-hundred-pound animals with large hooves, no barn manners, and big teeth, but by and large they're not particularly more dangerous than the average pony. Though given the number of times idiot parents have shoved small children under the back legs of half-asleep tame horses, [[TooDumbToLive cheerfully oblivious to how spooked horses tend to react to surprises behind them....]]
** Note that all living "wild" horses (and ponies, mustangs, etc.) in the New World are descended from domestic horses brought by Europeans. There were prehistoric equines native to North America, but they went extinct before humans arrived. Wild horses often have many generations of feral life behind them, but they are still the same species as stable-bred horses and they can be tamed and ridden. However, this process takes years, and any animal that big is dangerous if it doesn't like you.
* Next time you go to the zoo, sneak a hip flask in. [[DrinkingGame Take a sip]] [[WallBanger and weep for the species]] ([[YouFailBiologyForever human]] or [[HumansAreBastards otherwise]] depending on the situation) when you observe this trope in action. (Examples from [[TragicTDragon this editor's]] recent visit to the local wildlife rehabilitation center: Whistling and calling "here boy!" -- to a moose. Tossing sticks at a ''sleeping porcupine'' to get him to wake up and "fetch". [[TooStupidToLive Wanting to pet the]] [[KillerRabbit Fisher...]])
* The famous deer of Nara Japan's national parks are in fact semi-domesticated and have been bred to be pretty docile, but the males especially will still charge you if you tick them off. Most anime that feature a trip to Nara will usually contain at least one joke about being chased or tackled by the deer (as seen in ''LuckyStar'', poor Tsukasa...) and there are some [[http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/AthenAltena/11223196060angry-deer-signxxcouldnxt-resist.jpg hilarious signs]] around the park warning people not to do things like get between [[MamaBear a mom and her baby]] or [[HilarityEnsues hilarity will ensue]].
* As [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADGn1GABF0Q this video]] shows, even deer that live in suburban areas and come close to humans every day will attack if you give them a reason.
* This troper, a Texan who lives in an area that occasionally has problems with coyotes coming into residential areas, even clean cut suburbs. Every year, ''all'' of the local news stations ''repeatedly'' run stories telling people in no uncertain terms the following: "Coyotes are '''not''' like dogs. Coyotes are '''NOT''' cute little cartoon characters that chase roadrunners. COYOTES ARE WILD ANIMALS AND ''WILL'' BITE YOU. Do not try to pet, feed, or get near the coyotes. Especially do not try to catch the damn things and turn them into pets". There's a reason they have to run these ads every year: because people don't listen and get their faces bitten off.
** This is even worse in other parts of the US. Coyotes have migrated all over the country and adapt well to colder weather. But since very few people outside the Southwest know this, let alone have news reports warning them, they don't realize that the cute red doggy will BITE. YOUR. ASS.
** It doesn't help that domestic dogs can breed with coyotes and mix up their genes, so people might mistake a canine on the street for a dog when it's really a coyote.
* If you ever go to southern Brazil to see the Iguaçu falls, watch out for stray coatis. These little buggers will climb you to get to food just like squirrels, but have about five times their weight and really sharp claws.

[[AC: VideoGames]]
* Heavily used, probably justified in ''{{Pokemon}}''. Every single one of these superpowered magical beasts, based on everything from pot plants to jellyfish to dinosaurs and dragons, can be relatively easily captured, [[DefeatMeansFriendship instantly tamed]] and may well come to act like a family pet. And why yes, this does mean you can have [[FluffyTamer various kinds of giant monsters]] [[GentleGiant acting like a friendly dog]].
** Don't mess with a wild one, though.
*** Also, oddly enough, pokemon that have been trained by other trainers will disobey you, but not the pokemon that was completely feral until five seconds ago.
**** There is actually some logic to this. It's often harder to obey a new master (boss, king, etc.) than to learn to obey one in the first place.
* WorldOfWarcraft plays this straight with the Hunter class and their "Tame" ability. Granted, some animals can't be tamed no matter what, and there's always a risk of being killed by a prospective pet, but once that's over with, you've got yourself a faithful companion be it a wild lion or ravenous hyena...

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]
* Subverted in an episode of ''JusticeLeague'', when a depowered Superman (transported thousands of years into Earth's future by what was believed to be a DeathRay) is confronted by a pack of post-apocalyptic wolf creatures. He first tries to command them to stand down using all of the typical trained dog orders (stay, sit, heel, etc.), but they don't listen. It's only after [[{{Badass}} he fights them off, kills their Alpha, and makes a coat out of its hide]] that they finally listen to him (and act much more like domesticated sled dogs, as a result).

*** [[DidNotDoTheResearch They should have been]]. Pit bulls were bred for qualities that are useful in pit fights, but they were created by combining breeds of dog ''not'' meant specifically for fighting, and are dogs first and fighters second. Normally, pit bulls are just as sweet as that golden retriever you were cooing at the other day; they have to be specifically trained to be vicious if you want them to fight. So if they're killing toddlers, blame the owners (current or previous), not the dogs.

** [[spoiler: This trope is tragically demonstrated with [[TheWoobie Toboe]], who accidently killed the kind old lady who took him in and tried to raise as a pet]].

** Maya behaviour seems to follow this trope as a joke. While Maya behaves like a house cat towards Sakaki, the domesticated house cats behave more like wild animals towards her, creating an example and an inversion of this trope at the same time.

** Dont mess with a wild one, though.

->''"Do not attempt to pet the dingos. Do not attempt to play with the dingos. Do not throw squeaky toys to the fucking dingos or attempt to sneak scraps of food to the fucking dingos from the dinner table. If a fucking dingo follows you home, you should not keep it. [[http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/1998/04/05/dingo980405a.html DO NOT LET A DINGO PLAY WITH YOUR INFANT.]]"''

** There are some great warning signs in Yellowstone National Park with images of people getting chased by buffalo.

* Britain is rather left out in regard to this trope as there are no truly dangerous wild mammals in the country. Even the largest and most dangerous wild creatures, Red Deer, have been semi-domestic for generations. However there are Badgers, and, although you may not believe this, at first, there are people who are stupid enough to try and hug wounded badgers better immediately after hitting them with cars.

* Geese and Swans despite being quite pretty are known to be quite aggressive. Those things will go after blood if you enter their territory.

Part of the cause of this is simply that [[TeamPet animal sidekicks are really adorable]], but most of the more interesting ones are not of domesticated species, and the only rational way for the hero to get one is if it is from the wild. Taming an adult animal is far more trouble than it's worth. Even taming a baby one never does much for softening its wild instincts.

** Even then so, the lion (and his mate) gave very clear signals that they humans should head off now. The lioness was getting visibly anxious. The main reason why the encounter ended in a good way (besides Christian's unusual friendliness) was because those people were professional handlers who knew how to read the signals.

* In ''Foundation and Earth'', the main characters visit a formerly inhabited planet. When one of them encounters a dog, it takes him quite a while to understand it can be dangerous - and then he spends half a chapter reflecting upon how there is no dangerous fauna (or flora, it seems) after twenty thousand years of the man taking care of the Galaxy.

* Next time you go to the zoo, sneak a hip flask in. [[DrinkingGame Take a sip]] [[WallBanger and weep for the species]] ([[YouFailBiologyForever human]] or [[HumansAreBastards otherwise]] depending on the situation) when you observe this trope in action. (Examples from [[TragicTDragon this editor's]] recent visit to the local wildlife rehabilitation center: Whistling and calling "here boy!" -- to a moose. Tossing sticks at a porcupine to get him to wake up and "fetch". [[TooStupidToLive Wanting to pet the Fisher...]])

* Next time you go to the zoo, sneak a hip flask in. [[DrinkingGame Take a sip]] [[WallBanger and weep for the species]] ([[YouFailBiologyForever human] or [[HumansAreBastards otherwise]] depending on the situation) when you observe this trope in action. (Examples from [[TragicTDragon this editor's]] recent visit to the local wildlife rehabilitation center: Whistling and calling "here boy!" -- to a moose. Tossing sticks at a porcupine to get him to wake up and "fetch". [[TooStupidToLive Wanting to pet the Fisher...]])

* Britian is rather left out in regard to this trope as there are no truly dangerous wild mammals in the country. Even the largest and most dangerous wild creatures, Red Deer, have been semi-domestic for generations. However there are Badgers, and, although you may not believe this, at first, there are people who are stupid enough to try and hug wounded badgers better immediately after hitting them with cars.

*** Not fennecs, but it took roughly ten years to create the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox domesticated silver fox]] through a series of artificial selections for tameness.

* The famous deer of Nara Japan's national parks are in fact semi-domesticated and have been bred to be pretty docile, but the males especially will still charge you if you tick them off. Most anime that feature a trip to Nara will usually contain at least one joke about being chased or tackled by the deer (as seen in ''LuckyStar'', poor Tsukasa...) and there are some hilarious signs around the park warning people not to get between a mom and her baby or [[HilarityEnsues hilarity will ensue]].

** [[ReactiveContinuousScream Both in case your wondering]].

** Eh...this one is a partial subversion, actually. On PART of the Island (the Virgina side?) the pony herds (which, strictly speaking, are feral, not wild, like all "wild" equids in North America) the herds are rounded up every year for Pony Penning, given cursory exams, and are handled to some degree. By and large, they're fairly tame, if not broken to handling. Some are desensitized to the point that's a problem, as they'll stick their heads in tents and car windows and mug for handouts. Of course they're also still six- to- eight-hundred-pound animals with large hooves, no barn manners, and big teeth, but by and large they're not particularly more dangerous than the average pony. Though given the number of times this troper has seen idiot parents shove small children under the back legs of half-asleep tame horses, [[TooDumbToLive cheerfully oblivious to how spooked horses tend to react to surprises behind them....]]

* Played straight and averted in the same film, ''GrizzlyMan'', in which CloudCuckooLander Timothy Treadwell spends thirteen summers hanging out with grizzly bears like they're puppies--until one eats him and his girlfriend.