Domestication required a number of factors for our ancient ancestors: The animal couldn't be a picky eater (koalas, pandas) or require too much meat (lions, tigers), it couldn't need too much space or privacy to breed (cheetahs), it couldn't take too long to mature (elephants), it couldn't panic too easily (deer, gazelle), they needed a social hierarchy, they couldn't be too big to feed and contain (rhinos, giraffes), and they couldn't be too aggressive (hippos, zebras).
I think the activist in the video is forgetting that not all wild species can be domesticated. Otherwise, why weren't certain species of deer or elk domesticated in North America before the European settlers arrived, while the settlers were able to domesticate cows, pigs, and other livestock? Some animals are wild and will remain so, forever. It's all in the genes. We just happened to have found another species that we're able to domesticate.
Wild animals become endangered animals. Domesticated animals thrive beyond all others. If you really cared about the well being of a species you might consider helping run or fund a project similar to the one in Siberia for it. Put your money where your mouth is.
there's nothing wrong with domesticating animals. it helps the animals to coexist with humans. actually, it's stupid that humans aren't trying to domesticate everything in sight. imagine the possibilities.
It's so stupid that scientists are still insisting it took millions of years to get the dog as it is now. This experiment obviously shows it took MUCH less time.
@Splashstorm04 Tens of thousands of years, not millions. And yes, it did take that long to get the dog as it is now. Ancient humans did not have knowledge of genetics or breeding, so the process was much slower. Perhaps it didn't take very long to get a wolf that would follow you around, but to get an animal so very different from a wolf that you could no longer call it a wolf took much longer. These foxes are still foxes and will easily revert if put back into the wild.
@GeoVII No, they say that the "ancient" humans than used selective breeding and bred the friendliest wolves to each other, so they were doing pretty much the same thing as this experiment. At the most it took 100-200 years to get a the fully domesticated dog, not thousands and thousands of years. The dog is actually still a wolf. Since 1993 that has been proven. That means a dog is really a domesticated wolf, such as these foxes are really just domesticated foxes.
The experiment says nothing about how long it took to domesticate dogs. In this experiment, foxes were subject to harsh selection for tameness and no other qualities, and only the tamest 10% (I believe) were bred. Ancient dogs were subject to human selection, but it was much less deliberate, involved selection for other qualities (like coat color, size, abilities) as well, and was probably less selective in terms of who was allowed to breed, so it likely took much longer.
@maximum411 Perhaps it took longer but surely not thousands and thousands of years longer. Do you have any idea who long a thousand years really is?! I cannot imagine a wolf took that long to domesticate when these foxes took not even 1/10th of that time. O_O
Most species take millions of years to undergo any noticeable changes, so a few thousand years is, in evolutionary terms, a blink of an eye. For significant changes to occur over several thousand years requires fairly rigorous selection. For such changes to happen over a few decades, as happened in the Belyaev experiment, extreme selective pressure must be applied.
@Splashstorm04 Evolution says Wolf : ProtoDog : Dog. The estimated Length of Time that Wolves/Dogs have been Domesticated is roughly 15 thousand years. Yes, domesticated dogs pre-date Civilization as we know it.
I have no problem with selective breeding. In fact I prefer it to other paths. Dogs were domesticated from wolves, but wolves still exist in the wild. Cows, at least of the North American Kind, do not. Then again, I don't know the history of cow domestication, so I can't really speak to that. What I'm trying to say is, that I'm cool with pet foxes, so long as there are still foxes in the wild. I would hate to see the entire species become reliant on humanity. But aren't they just adorable?
Check out the article about this by National Geographic if you can find it on their website. It makes a lot more sense once you've read it, but this whole thing started as a sort of anthropological study to better understand how early humans domesticated animals. They are now being offered as pets simply because the "byproduct" of 50 years of breeding foxes is...well, a lot of foxes. That and needing funds to continue research. Look into it more, it's really interesting!
when it comes to feeding, foxes are better than most dogs, being omnivores, they could easily live on a diet of any kinds of fruits, veggies, or grains, rather than just meat.
The Russians have opened a new frontier here. The Silver Fox is only one breed of fox. There are also Red Fox, Arctic white foxes, Japanese Red, English, American Red, Sardinian (from English) and many other local strains- all potential starting points for domesticated strains and wild preservation as well.
@maximilian333 I think the Silvery Fox is actually the same species as the Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes. It's just a color difference, like a white tiger. And they do have red kits for sale, not only silver.
@maximilian333 not just foxes but all animals have the potential to be domesticated just aswell as dogs are. for year we have thought that dogs were an exception and that the random bond we have is accidental, with this research we now know that it was a mere coincidence that the wolf became the dog. it has also given rise to the possibility and speculation of further domestication in cats. imagine a world of domesticated panthers and bears, its frightening and exciting at the same time.
Individually we cannot change the fact that man is taking over more and more of the wild habitat, the animal species that have the best chance of survival are the ones that can co-exist with humans... I think it's unfair to deny a creature the chance to live with humans, especially since ultimately the domestication of a particular type of animal may offer it a greater chance of preserving its genetic diversity.
@lewiar ... interesting thoughts, as I suspect this also works in reverse- dogs released into the wild quickly change in their looks and behavior, moving back toward their origins. The stray dogs roaming around outside towns in Latin American countries hunt in packs and give a visual impression that looks somehow atypical of domestic dogs...
@lewiar your right, domesticating animals does have more benefits than it does down sides, however domestication causes weird hormonal changes in which adrenalin levels are lowered, and physical, and internal changes begin to arise, such as change in color, floppy ears, curly tails, weaker immune systems, loss of natural instincts, and genetic disease may occur from poor or overbreeding.
@StefyStuff Completely... I don't disagree with this at all, but as an alternative to extinction, I'd rather have domesticated animals than none.... and also, domesticated varieties of wild animals in addition to the wild version can make people more open to preserving the habitat, and / or living with those wild animals in close proximity.
@mrfrosty8172 linked to adrenalin, not aggression, the reasoning for the foxes original color are due to natural selection( the foxes with high adrenalin levels had red fur) and so they were more likely to survive due to camofluage and being able to stay out of trouble, but by breeding fox's with lower adrenalin, they got a whole mix spots and speckles, even sometimes blue eyes.
what is the difference between them and other pets really? other than pets are ALL unique they are domesticated and love human affection, depriving them from that wood be the real crime. love them foxes! (wood not wool sorry)
what is the difference between them and other pets really? other than pets are ALL unique they are domesticated and love human affection, depriving them from that wool be the real crime. love them foxes!
I'm a vegetarian I care about animals and domesticating them has happened for centuries and Should continue as long as they aren't all used for this ; becoming extinct as a wild species
@circlesofconfusion35 they were used as hunting a royal pets from the egyptians for thousands of years! they WERE demesticated you know. They are actually the freandliest of all the big cats, even the smaller wild cats.They live in the home of persians and north africans and have for thousands of years as well. so yes if the freindlier ones were bread with the friendly ones in about the 60th or 50th generation has a good chance at being friendly. these foxes weren't friendly at first either.
@80spopQueen Your right I heard Cheetahs are the calmest of big cats they've actually said the same thing about Cougars or Mountain Lions whatever you want to call them.
@circlesofconfusion35 it would be behind a cage but yeah anyway. and they arent THAT dangerous i mean sure they can do a lot of damage but its not like one swipe of the paw and your done, like say a lion or tiger. of course you would have to take much more precautionary methods than you would with foxes but cheetahs are already semi domesticated in certain parts of the world. not to mention the fact that Persian cheetahs are smaller and are probably a result of past domestication and rewilding.
@ToraXaolin It is the people breeding them doing the abuse, not the ones buying them. They just interviewed one person for seconds at the end. I doubt that speaks for everyone involved in animal rights.
Try looking up a video on Russian silver foxes that are not tame (the 'failures') to see what they are doing to them. They are all stuffed in the corner in dark cages and have gone crazed due to inbreeding, isolation, and being in a cage all day every day.
@ToraXaolin I think she was talking about the domestication process. Did you notice the small cages at 0:49?
I've seen longer clips of those cages and many of the foxes were pacing... But also, how do you know the fox is not suffering? Have you talked to it? (And not just in this case, but many different situations) Why take such a risk with another creature's life just for greed or selfish desire? There is no real benefit for domesticating a wild animal for a pet.
@XpoldingToast There is no benefit? Therapy animals are a benefit. Bringing children up with animals is beneficial. All animals are wild and are purely instinctual. There are groups of wild dogs in Europe, not wolves, dogs. They were once domesticated, no longer. Every animal is wild, if a human wishes to take a canine in and give it the proper amount of love, there is no better companion for a dog.
@ToraXaolin Animal rights activists don't care about the animal's feelings, only their own. If it makes *them* feel sad to see an animal in captivity, then they say it is wrong. The animal could be perfectly fine and healthy, but since it makes them personally feel bad it is animal abuse. When PETA employees were caught killing healthy kittens and puppies, PETA defended their employee's actions. They think it is better to kill an animal than have it live in captivity. :(
@lightpaws25 you can buy a TAME fox, not a domesticated one, big difference. And how is it responsible, even if you treat the fox like the king of the world to take something that was in the wild, have it breed for you and sell tame fox kits(which are still going to have the inclination towards wild behavior and desire to destroy all carpet. These foxes are I believe 50 gen and essentially dog cat crosses with that gorgeous fox look
I wonder where this will lead 200 years in the future. Canines have very flexible genes, which is why humans were able to create so many different dog breeds in such a relatively short amount of time. No telling what kinds of foxes will be around then.
@CelesteStorywriter Apparently they already been doing it with Wolves not sure about Coyotes though. By breeding Wolves with Dogs to make Wolfdogs very few states have them legal to own though. I know in Florida there seems to be alot of Wolfdog breeders down there selling them. And a Wolfdog is considered to be a Police Dog since there able to track down someone faster than a German Shepard or a Bloodhound could.
aw! thats so cute. when i was a kid my fam. had arctic foxes we would go to fox farms and pic one out (it just happened to be from a friendly mother..kinda like the experiment in rusha)...it was really cool they where such fun, lovable animals...i never got bit once even though i was a young child when we first got them...we lived on 50 acres fenced in though in Wisconsin.
because the Ones who think This is cruel, probally are sitting on their Tiger Skin Rugs, Whilst Wearing their Fox skin coats, Looking at their Mounted Polar Bear Heads. because its cruel to them because its Less Things to kill and Wear.
@MrCadefulp That was because they lost research funding, but if they're breeding for pets, it's very profitable, since they cost almost 6,000$ after shipping to north america. So I guess someone bought the foxes and decided they could make money from breeding them. I want to get one someday myself. A fox and a serval would be awesome :) They're my goals in life.
Check the web other then that u will have to get a 2 way plane ticket. And why stop there u can buy Sukhois, mig, the whole AK family. Fansy cars and a home and u can dive to work in a T-90 and take a 10 min fight on an An-225 by your self...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LoL
i don't see anything wrong with rescuing foxes from fur farms and keep them as pets. in fact, it's brilliant. but these ones have been bred especially for being pets. that's not saving them.
Belyaev and the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk definitely did a phenomenal job.
The narrator mentions the silver foxes still have "wild" habits but they are no more rambunctious as certain dog breeds. And they are DEFINITELY a lot more playful + mild-mannered than than the pet fennecs and red foxes we see on YT.
If only California didn't have the absurd pet laws... :-/
Oh please, it's obvious the refusal to sell to Americans is entirely political.
Because A: Anyone willing to pay upward of 2000 dollars for a pet is clearly not going to just throw it in a ditch. Also, selectively selling a pet to a family is a much more ethical choice compared to the goddamn fur industry (IE. average chance of mistreatment happening versus 100% mortality rate)
Out of curiosity, what is the policy with selling to countries other than America? Anyone locate an actual breeder?
I just wish that institution would change its mind about allowing these beautiful creatures to come to the United States.
Contrary to what I've heard said by the management there, we Americans aren't as abusive as the 'worst of the worst' that make the news here would indicate.
I mean, if you think about it, '99% of pets loved like family' doesn't quite attract viewers than 'neglected dog attacks child' does on the nightly newscast. Our news outlets love sensationalism, not normalcy.
Well for one thing, America kills (euthanizes) HUGE numbers of pets each year. In Russia they just roam free, homeless. It's not a perfect situation, it's an insane country after all, but the dogs are better off living in a 'dog-eat-dog' world (literally) then being 'put to sleep'.
I'm also not sure about the climate, particularly for grey/white foxes. Thanks to the worldwide crisis, even Moscow has almost no snow anymore, and Siberia feels the effects as well. But Florida or California, worse.
Better they live in a dog-eat-dog world? What a stupid thing to say. Feral dogs spread diseases and sometimes attack humans and pets. They NEED to be kept under control, not allowed to be a hazard to families and their pets! There are thousands of "rescue" facilities in the U.S. that take in stray animals, vaccinate them, and find homes for them. Other programs neuter-and-release in the case of cats. Quit demonizing Americans for practicing public safety and responsibility.
"Needs a lot of space." Which is why we keep them in these itty bitty metal cages.
I jest though.
Very cute. Very interesting research as well. I suggest other views look into it, many interesting finds regarding how adrenaline levels affect pigment and behaviors. It helped to answer some questions about traits domestic dogs have that wild wolves never display.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
So that is what Happened to the Brits and the Euro-Trash: After generations of killing their bet off in wars the Fagots and the Girlie men were left to mind the women?
SO after generations of GIRLIE MEN -- You have the typical WET Brit chicken little that wets his pants at any controversy !
Russia Today, Your journalistic quality is very high. Thanks for all of your hard work. This was a "fluff" piece...but you managed to include some different opionions. Keep it up---maybe the other media outlets will go bankrupt...of course, they'll just get a bailout!
This really is nothing new. They started domesticating foxes like this nearly 40 years ago.
TheExoticism 1 day ago
in soviet russia
dondondodo 3 weeks ago
Domestication required a number of factors for our ancient ancestors: The animal couldn't be a picky eater (koalas, pandas) or require too much meat (lions, tigers), it couldn't need too much space or privacy to breed (cheetahs), it couldn't take too long to mature (elephants), it couldn't panic too easily (deer, gazelle), they needed a social hierarchy, they couldn't be too big to feed and contain (rhinos, giraffes), and they couldn't be too aggressive (hippos, zebras).
toddsmitts 3 weeks ago
These animal-rights activists do not understand natural selection.
KindHrt77 1 month ago
I think the activist in the video is forgetting that not all wild species can be domesticated. Otherwise, why weren't certain species of deer or elk domesticated in North America before the European settlers arrived, while the settlers were able to domesticate cows, pigs, and other livestock? Some animals are wild and will remain so, forever. It's all in the genes. We just happened to have found another species that we're able to domesticate.
EtherealPetrichor 1 month ago
Comment removed
vanessa51745 1 month ago
Wild animals become endangered animals. Domesticated animals thrive beyond all others. If you really cared about the well being of a species you might consider helping run or fund a project similar to the one in Siberia for it. Put your money where your mouth is.
GoTodash 1 month ago
there's nothing wrong with domesticating animals. it helps the animals to coexist with humans. actually, it's stupid that humans aren't trying to domesticate everything in sight. imagine the possibilities.
Mintyflip 2 months ago
It's so stupid that scientists are still insisting it took millions of years to get the dog as it is now. This experiment obviously shows it took MUCH less time.
Splashstorm04 2 months ago
@Splashstorm04 Tens of thousands of years, not millions. And yes, it did take that long to get the dog as it is now. Ancient humans did not have knowledge of genetics or breeding, so the process was much slower. Perhaps it didn't take very long to get a wolf that would follow you around, but to get an animal so very different from a wolf that you could no longer call it a wolf took much longer. These foxes are still foxes and will easily revert if put back into the wild.
GeoVII 2 months ago
@GeoVII No, they say that the "ancient" humans than used selective breeding and bred the friendliest wolves to each other, so they were doing pretty much the same thing as this experiment. At the most it took 100-200 years to get a the fully domesticated dog, not thousands and thousands of years. The dog is actually still a wolf. Since 1993 that has been proven. That means a dog is really a domesticated wolf, such as these foxes are really just domesticated foxes.
Splashstorm04 2 months ago
@Splashstorm04
The experiment says nothing about how long it took to domesticate dogs. In this experiment, foxes were subject to harsh selection for tameness and no other qualities, and only the tamest 10% (I believe) were bred. Ancient dogs were subject to human selection, but it was much less deliberate, involved selection for other qualities (like coat color, size, abilities) as well, and was probably less selective in terms of who was allowed to breed, so it likely took much longer.
maximum411 1 month ago
@maximum411 Perhaps it took longer but surely not thousands and thousands of years longer. Do you have any idea who long a thousand years really is?! I cannot imagine a wolf took that long to domesticate when these foxes took not even 1/10th of that time. O_O
Splashstorm04 1 month ago
@Splashstorm04
Most species take millions of years to undergo any noticeable changes, so a few thousand years is, in evolutionary terms, a blink of an eye. For significant changes to occur over several thousand years requires fairly rigorous selection. For such changes to happen over a few decades, as happened in the Belyaev experiment, extreme selective pressure must be applied.
maximum411 1 month ago
@maximum411 But wolves and dogs are so much the same that they can still mate and reproduce. It couldn't have taken so long.
Splashstorm04 1 month ago
@Splashstorm04 Evolution says Wolf : ProtoDog : Dog. The estimated Length of Time that Wolves/Dogs have been Domesticated is roughly 15 thousand years. Yes, domesticated dogs pre-date Civilization as we know it.
guitsome 3 days ago
@GeoVII It's the same thing. You put a pack of dogs in the wild and after a few years they would've reverted back to a wild state as well.
Splashstorm04 2 months ago
I can't wait to get one!
Splashstorm04 2 months ago
these foxes are no loner wild animals. their genetics are similar to cats and dogs in the sense that they are not built to survive in the wild.
the0th 3 months ago
sometimes animal rights activists can be so fucking annoying
jarvin21 5 months ago
I have no problem with selective breeding. In fact I prefer it to other paths. Dogs were domesticated from wolves, but wolves still exist in the wild. Cows, at least of the North American Kind, do not. Then again, I don't know the history of cow domestication, so I can't really speak to that. What I'm trying to say is, that I'm cool with pet foxes, so long as there are still foxes in the wild. I would hate to see the entire species become reliant on humanity. But aren't they just adorable?
sammosaurusrex 5 months ago 2
@sammosaurusrex Cows are descended from the extinct auroch.
suicune690 4 months ago
Looks like it'll take a couple more decades for foxes to be true house pets, but for now any home is better than a fur farm.
merefin 5 months ago 2
Check out the article about this by National Geographic if you can find it on their website. It makes a lot more sense once you've read it, but this whole thing started as a sort of anthropological study to better understand how early humans domesticated animals. They are now being offered as pets simply because the "byproduct" of 50 years of breeding foxes is...well, a lot of foxes. That and needing funds to continue research. Look into it more, it's really interesting!
makersspace 6 months ago
@makersspace yea they took the friendliest foxes and had them breed
what happened was the lighter colored foxes where more friendlier
they said its cuz the pigment or melanin WTF its called is linked to aggression
mrfrosty8172 6 months ago
when it comes to feeding, foxes are better than most dogs, being omnivores, they could easily live on a diet of any kinds of fruits, veggies, or grains, rather than just meat.
StefyStuff 7 months ago
the fox is suffering with 3 meals a day and nice warm home
akumayoukai 7 months ago
The Russians have opened a new frontier here. The Silver Fox is only one breed of fox. There are also Red Fox, Arctic white foxes, Japanese Red, English, American Red, Sardinian (from English) and many other local strains- all potential starting points for domesticated strains and wild preservation as well.
maximilian333 8 months ago
@maximilian333 I think the Silvery Fox is actually the same species as the Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes. It's just a color difference, like a white tiger. And they do have red kits for sale, not only silver.
Dracontiar 7 months ago
@maximilian333 not just foxes but all animals have the potential to be domesticated just aswell as dogs are. for year we have thought that dogs were an exception and that the random bond we have is accidental, with this research we now know that it was a mere coincidence that the wolf became the dog. it has also given rise to the possibility and speculation of further domestication in cats. imagine a world of domesticated panthers and bears, its frightening and exciting at the same time.
AzzurryStreet 6 months ago
Individually we cannot change the fact that man is taking over more and more of the wild habitat, the animal species that have the best chance of survival are the ones that can co-exist with humans... I think it's unfair to deny a creature the chance to live with humans, especially since ultimately the domestication of a particular type of animal may offer it a greater chance of preserving its genetic diversity.
lewiar 8 months ago 9
@lewiar ... interesting thoughts, as I suspect this also works in reverse- dogs released into the wild quickly change in their looks and behavior, moving back toward their origins. The stray dogs roaming around outside towns in Latin American countries hunt in packs and give a visual impression that looks somehow atypical of domestic dogs...
maximilian333 7 months ago
@lewiar your right, domesticating animals does have more benefits than it does down sides, however domestication causes weird hormonal changes in which adrenalin levels are lowered, and physical, and internal changes begin to arise, such as change in color, floppy ears, curly tails, weaker immune systems, loss of natural instincts, and genetic disease may occur from poor or overbreeding.
StefyStuff 7 months ago
@StefyStuff Completely... I don't disagree with this at all, but as an alternative to extinction, I'd rather have domesticated animals than none.... and also, domesticated varieties of wild animals in addition to the wild version can make people more open to preserving the habitat, and / or living with those wild animals in close proximity.
lewiar 7 months ago
@lewiar agree also, but like i said, there are always risks.
StefyStuff 7 months ago
@StefyStuff yea they took the friendliest foxes and had them breed
what happened was the lighter colored foxes where more friendlier
they said its cuz the pigment or melanin WTF its called is linked to aggression
the research project also gave way to a new theory about how dogs became domesticated
mrfrosty8172 6 months ago
@mrfrosty8172 linked to adrenalin, not aggression, the reasoning for the foxes original color are due to natural selection( the foxes with high adrenalin levels had red fur) and so they were more likely to survive due to camofluage and being able to stay out of trouble, but by breeding fox's with lower adrenalin, they got a whole mix spots and speckles, even sometimes blue eyes.
StefyStuff 6 months ago
@StefyStuff exactly...
I dream the day i can own a Pengeuin!!
but to have it as a guard bird vicious and powerful.
mrfrosty8172 5 months ago
what is the difference between them and other pets really? other than pets are ALL unique they are domesticated and love human affection, depriving them from that wood be the real crime. love them foxes! (wood not wool sorry)
articfoxicefreinds 8 months ago
what is the difference between them and other pets really? other than pets are ALL unique they are domesticated and love human affection, depriving them from that wool be the real crime. love them foxes!
articfoxicefreinds 8 months ago
Its not a crime. i know a lot about foxes and this is what i think okay i would like to have one to excualy
But they are very expensieve
F0XSQUAD 8 months ago
domestic or not, if i catch them near my chicken house it's a DEAD fox!!
tosgem 8 months ago
I'm a vegetarian I care about animals and domesticating them has happened for centuries and Should continue as long as they aren't all used for this ; becoming extinct as a wild species
Troyjak1997 8 months ago
They're so lucky!
singergurl1807 8 months ago
we NEED to do this to cheetahs who are also used for coats but have te pretential to make great pets!
80spopQueen 9 months ago
@80spopQueen Lol you wanna get up close to a cheetah to see if it's aggressive or can be tamed?
circlesofconfusion35 9 months ago
@circlesofconfusion35 they were used as hunting a royal pets from the egyptians for thousands of years! they WERE demesticated you know. They are actually the freandliest of all the big cats, even the smaller wild cats.They live in the home of persians and north africans and have for thousands of years as well. so yes if the freindlier ones were bread with the friendly ones in about the 60th or 50th generation has a good chance at being friendly. these foxes weren't friendly at first either.
80spopQueen 9 months ago
@80spopQueen Your right I heard Cheetahs are the calmest of big cats they've actually said the same thing about Cougars or Mountain Lions whatever you want to call them.
TheCajunGambit1 8 months ago
@TheCajunGambit1 tell this chick that!
80spopQueen 8 months ago
@circlesofconfusion35 do your research before making stupid comments.
80spopQueen 9 months ago
@80spopQueen I advise you follow your own advice lol.
circlesofconfusion35 9 months ago
@circlesofconfusion35 asshole quit talking to me your making no sense
80spopQueen 9 months ago
@80spopQueen Why are you mad?
circlesofconfusion35 9 months ago
@circlesofconfusion35 i prefer fustrated!
80spopQueen 9 months ago
@circlesofconfusion35 it would be behind a cage but yeah anyway. and they arent THAT dangerous i mean sure they can do a lot of damage but its not like one swipe of the paw and your done, like say a lion or tiger. of course you would have to take much more precautionary methods than you would with foxes but cheetahs are already semi domesticated in certain parts of the world. not to mention the fact that Persian cheetahs are smaller and are probably a result of past domestication and rewilding.
AzzurryStreet 6 months ago
50 years of selective breeding.. . . .they are domesticated by my standards.
LovRAngel 9 months ago
@AtheismandSkepticism very much so. lmfao
LovRAngel 9 months ago
in russia they cost about 2k. abroad they cost about 7k due to transportation. maybe slightly less now.
the0th 10 months ago
@the0th it costs 3k :) directly from the institute that is :)
icestripe33 9 months ago
domesticating an animal will ensure its survival forever. look how many feral dogs, cats, and pigs there are
SStockstill 10 months ago
dear animal rights activists- not every domesticated animal you see is being abused. How do you know the fox is suffering? Have you talked to it?
ToraXaolin 11 months ago 19
@ToraXaolin It is the people breeding them doing the abuse, not the ones buying them. They just interviewed one person for seconds at the end. I doubt that speaks for everyone involved in animal rights.
Try looking up a video on Russian silver foxes that are not tame (the 'failures') to see what they are doing to them. They are all stuffed in the corner in dark cages and have gone crazed due to inbreeding, isolation, and being in a cage all day every day.
WaffleKogen 10 months ago
@ToraXaolin I think she was talking about the domestication process. Did you notice the small cages at 0:49?
I've seen longer clips of those cages and many of the foxes were pacing... But also, how do you know the fox is not suffering? Have you talked to it? (And not just in this case, but many different situations) Why take such a risk with another creature's life just for greed or selfish desire? There is no real benefit for domesticating a wild animal for a pet.
XpoldingToast 3 months ago
@XpoldingToast There is no benefit? Therapy animals are a benefit. Bringing children up with animals is beneficial. All animals are wild and are purely instinctual. There are groups of wild dogs in Europe, not wolves, dogs. They were once domesticated, no longer. Every animal is wild, if a human wishes to take a canine in and give it the proper amount of love, there is no better companion for a dog.
akahdrin 1 day ago
@ToraXaolin Animal rights activists don't care about the animal's feelings, only their own. If it makes *them* feel sad to see an animal in captivity, then they say it is wrong. The animal could be perfectly fine and healthy, but since it makes them personally feel bad it is animal abuse. When PETA employees were caught killing healthy kittens and puppies, PETA defended their employee's actions. They think it is better to kill an animal than have it live in captivity. :(
Fleefles 4 weeks ago
wish i had a fox in MY box
xdipndotx 11 months ago
My friend had a pet coyote. Dam that fox looks just like a dog I can get away with one of those everybody will think its a dog O:-)
pavy415 1 year ago
Holy moley!! $2,000 dollars??!! You can buy a well behaved fox kit from a respectable and responsible breeder here in the USA for $400 dollars.
lightpaws25 1 year ago
@lightpaws25 you can buy a TAME fox, not a domesticated one, big difference. And how is it responsible, even if you treat the fox like the king of the world to take something that was in the wild, have it breed for you and sell tame fox kits(which are still going to have the inclination towards wild behavior and desire to destroy all carpet. These foxes are I believe 50 gen and essentially dog cat crosses with that gorgeous fox look
Tatsu0chan 10 months ago
i love to have a pet fox xD
it be awesome they are so awesome
JoeTheBored 1 year ago
I wonder where this will lead 200 years in the future. Canines have very flexible genes, which is why humans were able to create so many different dog breeds in such a relatively short amount of time. No telling what kinds of foxes will be around then.
FunkyFrank10 1 year ago 3
Whats next are people going to attempt the same thing with Coyotes and Wolves? lol.
yoda55 1 year ago
@yoda55 Well, why not? It worked with the foxes.
CelesteStorywriter 1 year ago
@CelesteStorywriter Apparently they already been doing it with Wolves not sure about Coyotes though. By breeding Wolves with Dogs to make Wolfdogs very few states have them legal to own though. I know in Florida there seems to be alot of Wolfdog breeders down there selling them. And a Wolfdog is considered to be a Police Dog since there able to track down someone faster than a German Shepard or a Bloodhound could.
yoda55 1 year ago
@yoda55 We already did. All dogs are descendants of domesticated gray wolves. Proven by archeology & dna evidence.
erikdjs 1 year ago
why would it be a crime if you make a bad dog become good???
13elsyd13 1 year ago
aw! thats so cute. when i was a kid my fam. had arctic foxes we would go to fox farms and pic one out (it just happened to be from a friendly mother..kinda like the experiment in rusha)...it was really cool they where such fun, lovable animals...i never got bit once even though i was a young child when we first got them...we lived on 50 acres fenced in though in Wisconsin.
teganwr 1 year ago
Comment removed
teganwr 1 year ago
thats so cool but i bet hippies wont like it
slipknotnorm 1 year ago
I love how everyone thinks this is cruel.
because the Ones who think This is cruel, probally are sitting on their Tiger Skin Rugs, Whilst Wearing their Fox skin coats, Looking at their Mounted Polar Bear Heads. because its cruel to them because its Less Things to kill and Wear.
HyperDriveSlash 1 year ago
I taught ever since the Soviet Union was over, this program was now lacking budget? ( As in, the scientists are running out of food and all that )
MrCadefulp 1 year ago
@MrCadefulp That was because they lost research funding, but if they're breeding for pets, it's very profitable, since they cost almost 6,000$ after shipping to north america. So I guess someone bought the foxes and decided they could make money from breeding them. I want to get one someday myself. A fox and a serval would be awesome :) They're my goals in life.
Henrika16 1 year ago
Check the web other then that u will have to get a 2 way plane ticket. And why stop there u can buy Sukhois, mig, the whole AK family. Fansy cars and a home and u can dive to work in a T-90 and take a 10 min fight on an An-225 by your self...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LoL
Starr8492DS 2 years ago
i don't see anything wrong with rescuing foxes from fur farms and keep them as pets. in fact, it's brilliant. but these ones have been bred especially for being pets. that's not saving them.
Cla900 2 years ago
will they send one from russia for me
octobubble 2 years ago
where can i get one
octobubble 2 years ago
@octobubble sibfox.com the have a contract with the russian farm that dose the expirement
partypeepers 1 year ago
Belyaev and the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk definitely did a phenomenal job.
The narrator mentions the silver foxes still have "wild" habits but they are no more rambunctious as certain dog breeds. And they are DEFINITELY a lot more playful + mild-mannered than than the pet fennecs and red foxes we see on YT.
If only California didn't have the absurd pet laws... :-/
clovera 2 years ago 8
@clovera Laws like that are meant to be broken. >:)
goober239 1 year ago
it would be cool if in a hundred years or so foxes were as common-place a pet as cats and dogs
schnips074 2 years ago 3
Not ideal, but more humane than the rearing of foxes for the fur trade at least.
geilo1968 2 years ago 4
WANT.
MsGeek703 2 years ago 4
I want one of these Silver Foxes now, very cute.
BlitzWing00 2 years ago
We are thinking about adopting...with 2 rescues doga. ages 7-10 and a space big enough for all...
WesBEnterprise 2 years ago
In Soviet Russia, fox domesticate you!
(I'm sorry :()
FluffyTombi 2 years ago 57
I think everyone laughed at that.
I'd rather have a live fox with a healthy coat, than a dead fox on a coat :c
CrispyBacon12 2 years ago 55
@FluffyTombi Eh, i could imagine worse XD I might even enjoy it
wolfie9113 1 year ago
Oh please, it's obvious the refusal to sell to Americans is entirely political.
Because A: Anyone willing to pay upward of 2000 dollars for a pet is clearly not going to just throw it in a ditch. Also, selectively selling a pet to a family is a much more ethical choice compared to the goddamn fur industry (IE. average chance of mistreatment happening versus 100% mortality rate)
Out of curiosity, what is the policy with selling to countries other than America? Anyone locate an actual breeder?
giiwii 2 years ago
They are selling them to other countries now and would sell to US you just have to manage to contact the right person.
TamanduaGirl 2 years ago 2
Americans would pay more than $2,000 for them too :P I know I would!!
EscorialMisty 3 years ago
COOL GIVE ME A PET FOX =) (danm my mom wil not be happy lol)
KnexJunkie 3 years ago
I just wish that institution would change its mind about allowing these beautiful creatures to come to the United States.
Contrary to what I've heard said by the management there, we Americans aren't as abusive as the 'worst of the worst' that make the news here would indicate.
I mean, if you think about it, '99% of pets loved like family' doesn't quite attract viewers than 'neglected dog attacks child' does on the nightly newscast. Our news outlets love sensationalism, not normalcy.
TiberiousNeruda 3 years ago 3
Well for one thing, America kills (euthanizes) HUGE numbers of pets each year. In Russia they just roam free, homeless. It's not a perfect situation, it's an insane country after all, but the dogs are better off living in a 'dog-eat-dog' world (literally) then being 'put to sleep'.
I'm also not sure about the climate, particularly for grey/white foxes. Thanks to the worldwide crisis, even Moscow has almost no snow anymore, and Siberia feels the effects as well. But Florida or California, worse.
RiseUpToYourPotentia 3 years ago
Better they live in a dog-eat-dog world? What a stupid thing to say. Feral dogs spread diseases and sometimes attack humans and pets. They NEED to be kept under control, not allowed to be a hazard to families and their pets! There are thousands of "rescue" facilities in the U.S. that take in stray animals, vaccinate them, and find homes for them. Other programs neuter-and-release in the case of cats. Quit demonizing Americans for practicing public safety and responsibility.
laughingwolfos 2 years ago 7
"Needs a lot of space." Which is why we keep them in these itty bitty metal cages.
I jest though.
Very cute. Very interesting research as well. I suggest other views look into it, many interesting finds regarding how adrenaline levels affect pigment and behaviors. It helped to answer some questions about traits domestic dogs have that wild wolves never display.
Fascinating.
Alchemical 3 years ago 2
I want one
GershonH 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
So that is what Happened to the Brits and the Euro-Trash: After generations of killing their bet off in wars the Fagots and the Girlie men were left to mind the women?
SO after generations of GIRLIE MEN -- You have the typical WET Brit chicken little that wets his pants at any controversy !
starcatcher7777 3 years ago
We're all domesticated animals.
iamSRX 3 years ago 4
Russia Today, Your journalistic quality is very high. Thanks for all of your hard work. This was a "fluff" piece...but you managed to include some different opionions. Keep it up---maybe the other media outlets will go bankrupt...of course, they'll just get a bailout!
radiofriendly 3 years ago 2