Domestic animals and their types. What is meant by the name pets? The world around us: domestic and wild animals

), materials (wool), or performing work functions (cargo transportation, security). The second large category is companion animals, which occupy leisure time, provide pleasure, and can be socialized with. For urban residents, the concept of “pets” is more often associated with the second category, that is, “pets.” Animals of the same breed can act in both capacities. For example, someone breeds rabbits for meat and fur, while others keep a rabbit at home as a pet.

Pets can be kept in special premises (barnyard, stables, doghouse), but they can also live directly in a person’s home. Of those animals that live in the house, some are kept in cages, aquariums, terrariums and other “houses”, while others (for example, cats, dogs, rabbits and even monkeys) are allowed to roam freely around the premises.

No matter how loyal a cat is, she will always remain independent

Pets primarily eat commercially formulated foods made from specially selected ingredients. These feeds are not only convenient to use, but also provide the animal with everything necessary substances. For example, feed for farm animals, cat or dog food.

Many families who keep animals at home note that these animals create comfort, calm, and relieve stress.

In addition to pets, there may also be unwanted residents in the house - pets. They settle in or near a person’s home without an invitation, bringing no benefit and sometimes causing a lot of harm. These are, for example, rats, mice, cockroaches, ants. Domestic animals are part of a larger group of synanthropic animals that live near human habitation.

Reproduction in captivity

Domestic animals evolved from wild animals living in the wild. Many wild animals can be tamed, especially when young, and even kept at home. It sometimes happens that wild animals are easily tamed, but have difficulty reproducing in captivity. But if tamed animals reproduce, then their offspring need to be tamed again.

Unlike wild animals that are domesticated or kept in captivity, domestic animals tend to breed easily. In cases where such easy reproduction is desirable, fertility is spoken of as a positive quality. The offspring of domestic animals do not need to be tamed - character traits, making an animal domestic, are enshrined in genes and are inherited. This genetic set has developed through the process of selection, which people have carried out over centuries.

Farm animals

Not all of the animals listed here are domesticated. equally. Farm animals are the most domesticated. They have a highly developed ability to adapt (with human assistance) to a wide variety of external conditions. For example, they can endure extreme cold and heat and eat food not only provided by nature itself, but also prepared artificially. Cows, sheep, horses and pigs have these properties, and therefore they are common on the farm. But there are also those who, such as buffalo, camel, reindeer, llama, paco or alpaca, live only in certain areas - in very cold or hot zones of Asia and Africa or on the high mountains of Peru.

Selection

The main feature of domestic animals that breeders take advantage of is the diversity of their qualities. This is used to breed various breeds. Thanks to painstaking selection work, in the last two centuries some of the original animals have changed beyond recognition. Examples include the short-horned cow, the Leicester and Southdown sheep, the English racehorse and draft horse, and finally the Yorkshire and Berkshire pigs. These changes in the body of animals and the consolidation of the desired heredity became possible as a result of long-term work carried out by many generations of breeders.

If you take the original animal and put it next to the bred animal, the results of selection are often simply incredible. An English bull reaches up to 50-70 pounds of weight. The Russian peasant sheep weighs 50-60 pounds, the Southdown breed sheep fattens up to 400-600 pounds, and in addition produces 10-15 pounds of beautiful long hair. English pigs reach 10-12 pounds in weight in one year (for comparison, in order to obtain such weight, a Russian pig needs to be raised for 3-4 years). There is nothing to say about English heavy-duty horses; they have long since gained worldwide fame.

An interesting example of changes in the properties of domestic animals depending on human needs is the Merino sheep. The selection of its coat was determined by changes in the demand for different kinds wool Over the past decades, sheep farmers have tried to change the length, fineness and other characteristics of Merino wool.

Currently, breeders are looking to create breeds that can be useful for multiple functions. For example, in cattle they try to combine milk production with fattening ability, and in sheep - the production of good wool with meat production.

The work of Becquel and the Collins brothers showed that through selection it is possible to achieve desired changes in the properties of domestic animals, and one can only guess whether there is a limit to these changes.

Darwin, in his world-famous essay On the Origin of Species, repeatedly referred to the achievements of pastoralists in breeding new breeds of livestock. The entire first chapter of the book is devoted to the changes that animals and plants undergo as a result of their domestication.

History of domestication

Little is known about how and when domestication began. There is practically no information about this either in legends or in historical chronicles. It is believed that Stone Age man already had almost all the main domestic animals with him. The oldest historical chronicle, the Bible, speaks of cows, sheep, horses and others as the most common accessories of the shepherd and agricultural industries of peoples. In short, the time when man domesticated modern domestic animals remains unknown, just as the origin of most domestic mammals is unknown.

It is believed, however, that each of the domestic animals had wild ancestors. Proof of this is the study of bones found in the remains of pile buildings. When analyzing the excavations, it was possible to distinguish the bones of domestic animals from the bones of related wild animals. Thus, it can be assumed that in that era so distant from us, which neither history nor legend remembers, the same animals could be both wild and domesticated. Currently, the species to which some domestic animals belong are not found in the wild at all. For example, cows and horses are exclusively domestic species.

The question of who was the ancestor of some of the domestic animals is still controversial. Thus, some believe that the Russian domestic sheep originated from the mouflon, others from the argali, and others from the North African wild sheep ( Ovis tragelophus). Some consider the ancestor of the dog to be a wolf, some a jackal, and some consider both of these species (sometimes a coyote is added to them). According to modern ideas, dogs are entirely descended from wolves.

Wild representatives of many domestic animals have become extinct. Thus, the tur is considered the ancestor of most cattle breeds ( Bos primigenius) (Rütimeyer and his followers believe that all breeds of cattle common along the Baltic coast and the North Sea originated from the aurochs: Dutch cattle, Holstein cattle, as well as short-horned cattle in England. Ukrainian cattle also belong to this group.

Also, according to Rütimeyer, the original breeds should also include: Bos brachyceros (short-horned bull) and Bos frontosus (foreheaded bull). From the first form came the monochromatic brown cattle of Switzerland (Schwyz) and the neighboring Alps, and from the second - the motley, also Swiss, but found in the valleys between the tori, and the hornless cattle of Scotland and Norway). He lived like a wild bull, not only in prehistoric times, but also in relatively recent times. This is confirmed by the legends of our folk poetry, ancient Russian epics, then the names of various tracts in which the name of the tour is heard and, finally, the positive news of chronicles and other monuments of ancient literature. Judging by these monuments, the ancient aurochs was well known to our ancestors, it was a massive animal, with long horns, bay in color, it was distinguished by enormous strength and speed, it loved to stay in swampy and wooded areas, as free for food and secluded. According to epics, the boundaries of the habitat of the tour. are determined by the Dnieper region, the Volyn land and Lithuanian forests, but vernacular and the names of various tracts in which the name of the tour is preserved extends these borders east to the upper reaches of the Donets, and north to Ladoga (where there is the Turov Hermitage), Gryazovets and Galich. Of the direct evidence of the tour, the description given by the famous Herberstein, who came to Russia in the 16th century, is especially remarkable. In order not to confuse the aurochs with the still living bison, Herberstein included drawings of both animals in his notes (“Rerum Moscoviticarum commentarii”).

Thus, regarding the origin of the domestic bull, the question would be clear if it were not known that some of the domestic animals easily turn into wild ones. In America, before its discovery, there were none of the domestic animals of the Old World. There were no horses, no cows, no pigs, no sheep, no goats. All of our original domestic animals were brought to America by Europeans, and they all found such favorable soil that they soon multiplied to excess. Their numbers began to exceed the needs of the population. Under such conditions, naturally, some animals were left unattended, began to lag behind the herds, wander through the forests and gradually went wild. In this way, entire herds of wild bulls and horses began to accumulate in America. Nathusius says that he has had cases of pigs going wild and mating with wild boars. What happened to our domestic animals in America, and what partly happens in Europe, is also repeated in the sparsely populated areas of Australia, where wild cattle and horses are not even safe for people. In the ease of domestic animals going wild, some see it as proof of their origin from wild species. Because it is as if some domestic animals run wild so easily that a wild state is more consistent with their nature than a domestic, artificial state, from which they seem to strive to emerge. If domestication existed natural property some animals, it would not be easy for such animals to get by without human help, and transferring single-species wild animals to a domestic state would not be difficult. Be that as it may, the question of the origin of our domestic animals, these closest servants and friends of man, should be considered open, since, as Nathusius rightly noted, it lies beyond observation and experience.

As for pets, that is, animals living in the same home with a person, dogs were the first to play this role. In ancient Rome and early medieval Europe, the weasel was a common pet because it hunted house rodents. However, due to the poor tameability of the weasel as a hunter of house pests, it was supplanted by genets (for a short time in the Middle Ages) and cats, which remain common household pets in our time, when the need to exterminate rodents has ceased.

Homeless animals

Notes

see also

• Decorative birds
• Five Freedoms ( Five animal freedoms)

Literature

• World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity / B.D. Scherf (Ed.). - 3rd edn. - Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2000. (English)

Links

• Pets- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
• Pets // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). St. Petersburg: 1890-1907.

Man is a sociable creature. Living in big cities, people increasingly began to have pets. This allows you to relieve stress, have fun and gain joy from communicating with the animal world. No matter who the pets are, humans express love, care, and expect a loyal reaction.

The childhood dream of many is to have a kitten or puppy. However, sometimes the pet turns out to be not so cute animals. Some people lovingly care for the tarantula spider, or cockroach. The variety of animals that have begun to live at home is great.

The difference between wild animals and domesticated ones is that animals do not need care and care. For domestic animals, people provide shelter, food and even take care of their health, periodically using the services of a veterinarian.

Pets are divided into two large groups:

• those who live in a house with a person;
• those kept in the yard.

Let's look at the most common pet animals and consider their descriptions.

Animals living in the house

Consider the following animals:

• cat;
• dog;
• parrot;
• fish;
• rabbits.

The cat is a common pet that lives close to humans. The family quickly gets used to the new pet, especially if he appeared in the house when he was very young. early age. Most cats do not require much attention and are unpretentious in food and care.

A dog is man's friend. This animal instinctively knows how to show outstanding devotion. She needs care, affection and attention from her owner. Most breeds are trainable. This animal can become not only a true friend, but also a reliable guard.

Parrots are different. The bird can be quite tiny, but some breeds are large in size. Sometimes, a parrot can be taught to speak - it will be able to repeat familiar words and even answer certain questions. Feeding a parrot is not difficult.

Fish are another type of pet that is kept near humans. An aquarium is being prepared for them. The size of the container depends on the number of individuals and the species. For some fish, an aquarium with a volume of 3-5 liters will be enough, but for others you will have to prepare an aquarium of 100 or more liters.

Rabbits are furry animals that quickly become family favorites. These animals are profitable to keep, caring for them is simple and they do not require increased attention. By observing the life of rabbits, you can learn a lot of new things and get unforgettable emotions.

Animals living in the yard

A barnyard is more common in private homes. Some animals are kept in the garden. Most often you can see:

• horse;
• pig;
• cow;
• sheep.

Horses can be kept for riding and participating in competitions. In agricultural areas, this is a powerful labor force that can help with land work and for transporting goods. They are rarely kept for horse meat.

Pigs are kept for meat. It is distinguished by its fat content and nutritional value. After slaughter, it is preserved and from one animal you can get so much product that it will last a small family for the whole winter.

Sheep give milk and their wool is sheared. After slaughter you can get tasty meat. It's not easy to keep them. It is important to know the intricacies of care.

Care and maintenance

Regardless of which animal becomes a pet, the owner has the responsibility to provide it with everything it needs. A person is responsible for the one he has tamed. In order for the presence of an animal near a person to create a pleasant picture, it is worth considering several features when caring for it.

Nutrition

The diet of pets should be balanced. There should be enough food. Before buying a pet, it is worth clarifying how much food it needs daily and what kind of food it should be.

If your pet is small, you need to take into account that it will require vitamins. Being in the wild, animals know how to get everything they need themselves, but in captivity this responsibility falls on humans. More often this can be done by buying special supplements, or introducing fruits and vegetables into the diet.

Purity

It is important that your pet is clean. This will help avoid the appearance of an unpleasant odor. The health of both family members and animals will depend on the degree of cleanliness.

If annoying insects appear in your pet's bedding, it will be extremely difficult to get rid of them. It's easier to prevent infection. Regardless of the type of pet, cleaning is carried out every day.

Monitor the health

A pet will not tell a person if something hurts. Reasonable love will encourage the owner to observe the condition and behavior of the pet. If he becomes lethargic or begins to refuse usual foods, this is a reason to consult a veterinarian.

To prevent the development of diseases, it is better to prevent them. There are various vaccines for this. Vaccinations are given according to schedule.

How do they benefit people?

It all depends on what kind of animal has settled in the house. Some are kept for food, dairy products and wool, that is, for economic reasons.

Other pets bring moral satisfaction. Communication with an animal helps relieve emotional burden, reduce stress and even prevent depression. An animal in the house is a source of joy for every family member.

Having chosen a beloved pet, a person will experience the joy of his own generosity and care, and expect gratitude and devotion from the pet.

Dear pet lovers, breeders, specialists and managers of pet business enterprises! Russian legislators paid attention to our pets, pets, “little brothers” and mention of them appeared in several draft laws at once.

Draft Federal Law "On Veterinary Medicine"

on the Rosselkhoznadzor forum, introduces new definitions of the concept of “animals”:

14) animals– multicellular heterotrophic organisms, including agricultural, domestic, zoo animals, fur-bearing animals, birds, fish and other aquatic organisms, bees, fauna and other animals;

12) wild animals- animals belonging to species living in a state of natural freedom, and animals of these species removed from the natural environment, raised or bred in captivity;

Please note that our pets (dogs, cats, rodents, reptiles, fish, etc.) quite fit the definition of “wild animals”. Let us recall the wording already existing in Russian laws:

Federal Law of April 24, 1995 N 52-FZ

(as amended on November 11, 2003, November 2, December 29, 2004, December 31, 2005, December 18, 29, 2006, April 20, December 6, 2007, July 23, December 3, 30, 2008 March 14, July 24, 2009)

Article 1. Basic concepts

For the purposes of this Federal Law, the following basic concepts are applied:

animal world- the totality of living organisms of all types of wild animals that permanently or temporarily inhabit the territory of the Russian Federation and are in a state of natural freedom, as well as belonging to the natural resources of the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation;

animal object- organism of animal origin ( wild animal);

Article 3. Legal regulation protection and use of wildlife and their habitats

Relations in the field of protection and use of agricultural and other domesticated animals, as well as wild animals kept in captivity, are regulated by other federal laws and other regulatory legal acts Russian Federation.

13) Pets– animals that are kept in captivity or in a state of limited freedom, including farm animals, animals kept to satisfy the emotional and aesthetic needs of humans ( animal companions), as well as animals belonging to species traditionally kept by humans in captivity or in conditions of limited freedom;

It is not entirely clear why these concepts were introduced? Legislators wanted to draw attention to the fact that farm animals can be kept in the house?

The concept of "Pets" in regional laws of the Russian Federation

Law "On the maintenance and protection of domestic animals in the Krasnodar Territory"

2. This Law does not apply to relations in the field of keeping farm animals, used for the production of traditional food products, as well as animals that are for scientific, research, medical organizations and organizations of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Federal Border Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Federal service security of the Russian Federation and other government bodies are objects of scientific research or are used by them for official purposes.

• pets living under supervision (hereinafter - Pets), - animals historically domesticated and bred by humans, kept by the owner in the home or office premises;

Law “On keeping pets in cities and other localities of the Novosibirsk region”

2. This Law does not apply to relations in the field of keeping and using animals, which are used in scientific, research, medical organizations and organizations of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Federal Border Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and other federal government bodies for official purposes or as objects of scientific research.

• Pets– dogs and cats kept by the owner in a residential area or at home; this Law does not apply to owners of other animals domesticated and bred by humans;

Law “On keeping pets in cities and other localities of the Orenburg region”

• Pets- zoological species, , wholly or partially contained by man;

Law “On the maintenance and protection of domestic animals in the Pskov region”

2. This Law does not apply to relations in the field of keeping farm animals, as well as animals that are used for research and service purposes.

• Pets- animals kept by the owner in residential, service and special premises;

Law “On keeping pets in the Ulyanovsk region”

2. This Law does not apply to relations in the field of keeping and using farm animals, animals that are used in scientific, research, medical organizations, organizations of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Federal Border Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and other federal government bodies for official purposes or as objects scientific research.

• Pets– animals historically domesticated and bred by humans;

Law "On the maintenance and protection of domestic animals on the territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug"

• Pets- dogs, cats and other domestic animals, except farm animals contained in residential premises;

The concept of "Pets" in European laws

EUROPEAN CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS 1987

Productive animals and non-productive animals

The draft federal law "On Veterinary Medicine", heatedly discussed at the Rosselkhoznadzor forum, introduces new concepts:

36) productive animals– animals kept in captivity and used to obtain products intended for food;

27) unproductive animals– animals kept in captivity, with the exception of animals kept for the purpose of obtaining products intended for food from them;

Interestingly, to add this concept Union of Pet Business Enterprises it required the personal intervention of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin. In other words, although our pets are farm animals, they are not used for food, and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation does not agree.

Animal.ru:

I’m very interested in why pets can’t be separated from the Ministry of Agriculture and created as an independent structure?

T.K.:

Nobody will do this. The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for everything that concerns animals - and they are animals in the broad sense of the word.
But for the first time in the draft law on veterinary medicine, under our pressure, under pressure from the government Russian Federation, the concept of “non-productive animals” appeared - those that are not eaten, that please our eyes, and so on.
In order for us to be heard and taken into account that such animals exist, and that their life, maintenance, treatment and feeding are not regulated by the same mechanisms that, for example, regulate cattle, we fought for five years. Putin’s words at a meeting of the Commission on Administrative Reform were decisive, where he said - leave the cats and dogs alone, get down to business! And thanks to this, we won, because the ministers decided that it was cheaper for them to put us in a separate category than to listen to such words.

TC 140 "Products and services for non-productive animals"

On April 19, 2010, the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology, by order No. 1295, created a technical committee for standardization “Products and services for non-productive animals”.

Goals and objectives of TC 140:

In modern conditions, due to changes in the way of life of society, a general trend has emerged in the development of products and services for animals that accompany humans in their lives.

People are provided with and maintained by various animals that are not agricultural animals and are not used to obtain any products.

According to this characteristic, to the specified group of animals united under the concept of “non-productive animals” (NPA), usually include cats, dogs, ornamental and songbirds, horses, rodents, amphibians, aquarium fish, some insects, etc.

Please note that the draft law of the Russian Federation “On Veterinary Medicine” gives very vague “basic concepts” that offer the veterinary official a wide “field” to choose the desired definition. Simple examples:

• decorative rabbit - productive or unproductive animal;
• carp KOI - productive or unproductive;
• ferret - wild or unproductive;
• dog - productive or unproductive (a common culinary dish for residents of China and Korea).

On the requirements for feed and feed additives

The Association of Pet Food Manufacturers is preparing a draft (not the final version) of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “Technical Regulations “On the requirements for feed and feed additives for non-productive animals, the processes of their production, storage, transportation, sale and disposal.”

CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1. Purposes of the adoption of this Federal Law
1. This Federal Law is adopted for the purposes of:
1) protecting the life and health of non-productive animals;
2) environmental protection;
3) preventing actions that mislead purchasers of feed and feed additives for non-productive animals.

Please note, Feed Manufacturers Association for pets creates law for "non-productive animals"... It’s probably clearer to officials from the Ministry of Agriculture... It’s sad!

Draft Law "On the Responsible Treatment of Animals"

On November 22, 2010, a bill aimed at both protecting animals from cruelty and protecting citizens from pets was submitted to the lower house of parliament for consideration.
The authors of the draft law "On the Responsible Treatment of Animals" Vladimir Medinsky, Evgeny Tugolukov and Asan Nyudyurbegov introduce rules for the treatment of animals, dividing them into three categories:

• on companion animals;
• service animals;
• animals used in cultural and entertainment events.

Please note that the Federal Law of the Russian Federation "On the protection of animals from cruelty" passed all readings in the State Duma and received approval from the Federation Council in 1999. Removed from consideration by a letter from the President of Russia V.V. Putin on 01/03/2000 with the wording:

“the law does not have its own subject of legal regulation, since a significant part of the norms it contains relating to issues referred in accordance with Articles 71 and 72 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation to the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation or the joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have already been enshrined federal laws"On the animal world", "On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population", the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the Law of the Russian Federation "On Veterinary Medicine" and other legal acts."

What has changed since then?

What difference does it make for the pet business as the concept of “pets” is defined by Russian laws?

Used materials from the official website of TC 140 "Products and services for non-productive animals"

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rosselkhoznadzor insist that for their departments all animals have equal rights, and therefore products for cats are no different from, say, food for cows and goats.

• In accordance with existing legislation, all products produced by pet business enterprises fall under only three categories - feed, feed additives and medicines for animals (agricultural);
• There are no standards and requirements for such types of services as medical services for pets, hairdressing services, animal care services (hotels), animal training services, transport services, funeral services, etc.;
• There is no definition of the concepts “veterinary clinic”, “outpatient clinic”, “veterinary laboratory”, “infirmary (hospital) for animals”, “pet store”, “pet salon”, “aqua salon”, etc.;
• There are no definitions for “non-drug” drugs, vitamins, feed additives and pet care products;
• Obtaining certificates for products manufactured by pet business enterprises must be carried out in accordance with the regulations and standards of other industries (adjusted to existing standards);
• There is no approved terminology - concepts and definitions for products and services for pets;
• There is no definition of specialties for pet business specialists;
• No educational programs to provide the pet business with qualified personnel;
• There are no OKP codes (actually corresponding to the product range existing on the market) and their formal coordination with the HS codes;
• There are no sanitary standards and rules for this category of products, materials, services;
• There are no requirements for the conditions of production and sale of goods for pets;
• There is no regulation of the rules for certification of these products and, therefore, certification bodies;

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rosselkhoznadzor insist that for their departments all animals are equal in rights, and therefore cats, dogs, and ornamental rodents can be treated the same as farm animals raised for slaughter.

• there is no definition of the concepts “kennel”, “prostitute”, “breeder”;

Rules for the sale of certain types of goods

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 19, 1998 N 55 “On approval of the Sales Rules individual species goods" is the only document so far establishing special rules for trade in animals and plants:

79. Animals intended for sale must be kept in accordance with generally accepted standards for the humane treatment of animals in conditions where responding mandatory requirements standards.

• there are no requirements for the conditions of keeping certain breeds and species of animals in nurseries, pet stores, and exhibitions;
• there are no breeding requirements or rules for individual breeds and species of animals;
• there are no requirements and rules for transporting pets within Russia and crossing the border;
• There are no Russian breed standards for a number of domestic animals.

What difference does it make for animal protection organizations how the concept of “pets” is defined by Russian laws?

Today, the entire legal framework of Russia for the protection of animals is represented by only a single article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which does not apply to species used for pragmatic human needs. Even in cases of cruelty to companion animals - cats and dogs - it is extremely difficult to prosecute the perpetrators under this article, since it is ignored by local law enforcement agencies. The adoption by the Moscow authorities of the law on animals will not solve the problem on a national scale, and this law only affects the relationship between humans and companion animals.

Cruelty to animals in various fields has reached indescribable proportions in Russia in recent years, causing numerous complaints from citizens: photo business with animals, dog fighting, mobile zoo circuses, breeding of fighting dogs, baiting stations, poaching, killing stray animals with curare-like drugs, "rolling" business with horses, propaganda of cruelty in the media, sites with scenes of animal abuse, public killing of animals on religious holidays and much more.

The need to adopt federal legislation to protect animals is dictated not only by compassion for “our smaller brothers,” but also by the beneficial influence of such moral standards on the relationships of people in society. Thus, according to statistics from the Serbsky Institute of Psychiatry, over 85% of criminals who committed serious crimes against people had previously treated animals cruelly. The same figures (86%) were obtained in studies by Scotland Yard and the FBI.

Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

The fauna is, of course, very huge and diverse. It attracts with its unknownness and beauty. Domestic and wild animals are very interesting for children. Kids, of course, need to be told about the life of animals, their habits and characteristics, how they live in conditions wildlife. An important and very pressing issue is the proper maintenance of animals at home, as well as their role in our lives.

The world around us: domestic and wild animals

The world is huge and rich in a variety of animals. Among them there are both cute domestic fluffies, which we have known since childhood, and evil ones. wild predators. The life of domestic animals is certainly interesting, but much more informative is information about wild fauna, about which we know so little.

Most of the animals live in forests. It is they who received the name - wild animals. Many of them are very dangerous predators. And others are quite cute and harmless little animals that live in all corners of the globe. We can say that they are all united by one single goal - survival.

Pets

As you understand, pets are those animals that live next to humans. People support them, take care of them, giving them food and a home. Some types of pets bring very specific benefits to their owners. For example, they provide food (milk, cottage cheese, meat, eggs), materials (leather, wool) or perform work (guard, transport goods, help in agriculture). On the other hand, pets are friends who have long lived side by side with a person and share his home, helping to spend leisure time together.

For residents of megacities, pets are, rather, family members that they take care of, play with, and go on vacation. So the life of domestic animals in urban conditions is completely unrelated to bringing any benefit to humans. Rather, on the contrary, people care about the comfortable living of animals, which do not face the difficult task of obtaining food.

The role of domestic animals in human life

It must be said that wild and domestic animals are quite different. Nevertheless, they all play an important role in Let’s start, for example, with domestic animals.

Their role in our lives depends on what goals we set for ourselves when getting a pet for ourselves or for a child. Dogs protect us and are our friends. Cats and other furry creatures are our favorites. We take them into the house for our own pleasure. Another thing is that these species include cows, camels, ponies, sheep, horses, pigs, oxen, goats and many others.

However, it would be unfair if we did not remember that absolutely all domestic animals descended from wild ones. But in the process of his purposeful activity, man selected among them the best specimens with the necessary characteristics, until he achieved the development of certain agricultural breeds. Such domestic animals are usually kept in special buildings (cowsheds, chicken coops, pigsties, stables, sheds, enclosures). Generally, their productivity depends on how well they are cared for and fed.

Wild and domestic animals have very different diets. Unlike domestic animals, wild ones have to take care of their “dinner” on their own every time. Agricultural species are fully supported by humans. However, even such breeds are bred not only for benefit, but also for pleasure. For example, horses are purchased for equestrian sports and riding, rabbits are used for decorative purposes.

Historical excursion

They started ten to fifteen thousand years ago, during the period when people began to switch to a sedentary lifestyle and agriculture. After the hunt, wounded, weak individuals who had lagged behind the herd were often killed. Such animals remained close to the people who cared for them, providing protection and food. And they, in turn, provided food. It also happened that wolf cubs that grew up near human settlements got so used to it that they stayed with people forever and even went hunting with them. So gradually man acquired pets, which subsequently began to benefit him.

Taming animals was not an easy task. After all, people once kept antelopes, cheetahs, cranes, aurochs, wild boars, mouflons and argali at home. People watched and cared for them. The animals gradually changed. Of course, the process was very long.

Wild animals

Wild animals live in the wild. Unlike domestic species, no one cares about them. They get their own food, protect themselves, breed and raise their offspring. Of course, such a life is much more difficult and more dangerous. It is necessary to wage a daily struggle for survival. A comparison of wild and domestic animals in this sense is hardly possible, since different conditions their lives.

Wild animals are very diverse, they live a large number of Worldwide. Let's give an example of just a few of them: bears, foxes, lynxes, moose, hares, seals, tigers, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes. It’s simply impossible to count them all.

Life of wild animals in winter

Wild animals especially suffer in winter. During this period it is quite difficult for them. This is due, first of all, to the fact that there is much less food, and it is more difficult to obtain it when the ground is covered with a thick layer of ice and snow. Of course, all animals are adapted to such natural conditions. Nevertheless, it is still very difficult for them to survive at times. In winter, some animals change the color of their fur (foxes and hares), others hibernate, like badgers and bears, and others store themselves for the cold period, like squirrels. Everyone prepares for the arrival of cold weather in their own way.

Wild animals live very differently in winter. Some are saved by food supplies and warm houses (squirrels), others sleep, using up summer fat reserves (bears), and still others get food even in cold weather.

The importance of wild animals in people's lives

Wild and domestic animals clearly provide benefits to people. We have already discussed the role of domestic species earlier. Let's now talk about wild animals.

I must say that they are also useful for us, because they give us:

• I'm eating. In many regions of the world, the meat of wild animals is used for food. The fact is that wild representatives of the animal world are more adapted to life, and therefore more productive. For example, hunting species include wild boars, roe deer, hares, beavers, muskrats, foxes, wolves and many others. Don't forget about fish and birds. Fishing is generally widely used by people. In addition to fish farming in specialized farms, they also fish in the seas, rivers and oceans.
• Leather and fur. Wild animals are a source of beautiful natural fur. There is no way to replace them with artificial products, either in warmth or beauty. There are also special farms where representatives of wild species such as fox, muskrat, rabbit, and arctic fox are raised for fur. All of them are valued for their beautiful and warm fur. And the number of animals in the wild is not able to provide us with the necessary skins. Therefore, people began to breed some species in artificial conditions.
• Medicinal and perfumery substances that are used in pharmaceuticals and perfumery.

In addition, wild animals in any case remain, so to speak, the gene pool of livestock farming. By crossing them with domestic species, you can get new breeds with better performance.

People use animals to combat environmental pollution. Animals act as a kind of indicators. It’s no secret that animals react very sensitively to the slightest changes in environment, which means that their behavior can be used to judge environmental pollution.

In addition, animals help humans in searching for certain types of minerals, forecasting weather and earthquakes. Many examples can be given. Absolutely all animals know in advance about the upcoming earthquake. Fish and jellyfish, for example, can sense the approach of a storm.

And do not forget that animals are carriers of plant seeds in nature. And this is very important in the cycle of biological processes.

Wild pets

The increasing pace of urbanization has led to people increasingly wanting to interact with wild nature. If a hundred years ago it was customary to keep only cats and dogs at home, now hamsters, hares, jerboas, chinchillas, otters, monkeys, hedgehogs and many other representatives of wildlife are in fashion. The “Wild Pets” project has been sufficiently implemented. In fact, many wild animals began to live in our homes like pets. And this no longer seems something unusual and exotic. Of course, these are not exactly the same species that exist in the wild. After all, some of them were subject to crossing to breed better breeds. However, these are not the same pets that lived next to humans before.

Instead of an afterword

They are wild and play a big role in the life of humanity. In our article we gave only some examples of the usefulness and necessity of animals. In fact, their sphere of influence on our lives is much greater. We just don’t always think about it and sometimes cause irreparable damage to nature through our actions.

Our pets are so familiar to everyone that it would seem completely unnecessary to define this concept more precisely.

However, we must first of all agree on who exactly we will understand in the future under this name. In fact, should we include here all those animals that live with humans, or only some of them, distinguished by some special features? Would a domesticated animal be an accidentally domesticated squirrel, a starling, etc., even if all these forms were completely tame, or should this name be understood only as animals that constantly cohabit with humans, such as a horse, a dog, etc.?

strictly economic purpose, a certain benefit given to animals, and this is what most of our domestic animals are like horses, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks and many others. However, sometimes a person, when taming animals, did not intend to derive any benefit from them, but only pleasure; such, for example, are goldfish and canaries, which undoubtedly should also be classified as domestic animals. Thus, domestication by man for a specific purpose is characteristic feature each domestic animal, making it easy to distinguish it from all other forms.

But do we have the right to include here, on the basis of this characteristic, absolutely all those animals that are tamed by man, sometimes purely by chance, such as the above-mentioned squirrels, starlings, etc.? Certainly not, since each of these domesticated forms must come into closer communication with its master before it can be considered worthy of the name.

Between a person and any of the real domestic animals, a relationship is usually established in which the person, deriving benefit or pleasure from it, takes care of this animal, provides it with room, food, etc. However, all this is less typical and also occurs in relation to to all randomly tamed forms. What is much more characteristic is that man controls the reproduction of real domestic animals, which easily and constantly reproduce in captivity.

The last feature is also very important and makes it easy to distinguish a real pet from all forms that accidentally fall into human hands. Everyone knows how rare it is for true wild animals to give birth to young in captivity, even in the best zoological gardens. Sometimes the latter occurs even in large predators, such as a tiger and a lion, but still rather as an exception, and most wild forms do not reproduce at all in captivity. The same thing happens with animals accidentally tamed by humans, and a lot of time, energy and some other special conditions are needed for the newly domesticated animal to reproduce as easily and regularly as all forms that have been domesticated for a long time. It is remarkable that even the elephant, domesticated in India for many centuries, breeds extremely rarely in captivity, which is why it cannot be considered a real domestic animal.

Having agreed exactly what characteristics characterize real domestic animals (domestication for a specific purpose by man and constant reproduction in captivity), we have thereby closely limited the number of forms suitable for this concept. These include mammals or animals, firstly, our usual farm animals - horse, cow, sheep, goat, pig, as well as some purely local forms - donkey, yak, buffalo, reindeer and camel; secondly, a dog and a cat and, finally, a rabbit and some other rodents bred primarily for the purposes of various experiments in laboratories (guinea pigs, white mice and rats). Poultry includes pigeons, chickens, peacocks, guinea fowl, turkeys, ducks, geese, swans and canaries. Finally, from other groups of the animal kingdom, domestic animals include the goldfish, the mulberry butterfly and, perhaps, the bee.

As can be seen from this list, the number of forms domesticated by humans and becoming true domestic animals is very small: in general, it does not exceed 30. However, this number may subsequently increase because some forms will probably be included in the future among domestic animals. So, at the present time, one might say, before our eyes, the domestication of ostriches and zebras is proceeding at rapid pace, and, probably, the time is not far when they can be considered real domestic animals. It is very likely that in the future a person will be able to tame and domesticate some other useful or pleasant forms.

The real domestic animals we have listed above, with which we will only deal in the future, are among the best known of the entire animal kingdom. These are precisely the forms with most of which each of us, while still a child, began our first acquaintance with the world of living beings around us; their. the way of life, all the habits and habits attracted our attention either through direct observation or from stories, when we became more consciously interested in the howling that catches our eyes; finally, it is precisely these forms that they try to focus on when teaching at school, whether they are discussed in the first subject lessons or in a systematic zoology course.

However, there is one side that concerns all our domestic forms, moreover, the side is perhaps the most interesting, but usually remains somehow more in the shadows and little known in general: this is the question of origin of domestic animals. To introduce the reader to this deeply interesting question is our task here.

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