Tame vs Domesticated: Why Knowing the Difference Matters

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Because it can be a matter of life and death.

There have been innumerable instances where people were unable to distinguish between tame animals and domesticated animals, resulting in many potentially life-threatening incidents where tamed animals (which are still wild animals) attack people.

So here’s simple glossary of these important terms and what they actually mean:

Wild

Refers to naturally occurring animals. For example, a tiger.

Tame

Refers to any animal that is habituated with humans. For example, you can tame a tiger, but it is still a wild animal which simply got used to interacting with humans. This does not mean that they will always behave like regular domesticated cats.

Here’s a real-life incident which happened at the Singapore Night Safari in 2005 - a tame serval cat (yes, still a wild animal) attacked a tourist during the Creatures of the Night show.

That is why you should not keep a wild-caught animal as a pet even if it is quite tame.

Domesticated

Refers to species of animals that are results of being selected and bred in captivity by humans over multiple generations. Such animals develop physical, behavioural and even reproductive changes when compared to their wild counterparts.

Did you know that only 42 animals are considered to be domesticated?

There are generally 3 types of domesticated animals:

1. Animals adapted to a human environment e.g. dogs, cats, guinea pigs

2. Animals farmed as food sources e.g. cows, sheep, pigs, goats

3. Animals drafted for work purposes e.g. horses, camels, donkeys

Hence, there is no such thing as a “domesticated tiger”. Because even after generations of breeding in a zoo, it is still very much a wild animal.

Want to know more? See this video*.

*Even in this very interesting video, you’ll find the host using the term ‘domesticated’ wrongly.

Before we go, there are two other commonly misused terms and they apply only to domesticated animals.

Stray

Refers to domesticated animals escaped from captivity but still relies on direct or indirect human activities to survive. For example, a stray cat is not feral as it relies on humans a.k.a community feeders to survive.

Feral

Refers to domesticated animals escaped from captivity and managed to thrive and reproduce without any direct human interference. For example, feral populations of cats have established themselves in many countries, threatening native wildlife.

P.S. Any animal, regardless of how they were obtained, deserves access to quality healthcare and treatment. Gaia Veterinary Centre is a full-service facility that welcomes and treats pets of all species.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us!