#IndigenousPeople #Africa #DomesticateZebras #Domestication #ZebrasVsHorses
Have you ever wondered why indigenous people in Africa didn’t domesticate zebras the way early Europeans and Asians domesticated horses? 🤔 It’s a fascinating question that touches on history, biology, and cultural practices. Let’s delve into the reasons behind this in this article.
### Why Zebras Were Not Domesticated by Indigenous People in Africa
#### 1. Biological Differences
– Zebras have a very different temperament and social structure compared to horses. They are known to be more aggressive and unpredictable, making them difficult to tame and train.
– Zebras also have a strong flight response, which makes it challenging to handle them and use them for various purposes such as transportation and agriculture.
#### 2. Lack of Genetic Predisposition
– Early humans in Africa did not have a long history of interacting with equids, unlike in Eurasia where horses were already a part of the ecosystem. This lack of familiarity and genetic predisposition to work with zebras likely made domestication efforts more challenging.
#### 3. Cultural Practices and Beliefs
– Indigenous African cultures had different traditions and beliefs regarding the use of wild animals. Some communities may have seen zebras as sacred or untouchable, limiting the potential for domestication efforts.
– Additionally, indigenous people in Africa had other options for transportation and agricultural labor, such as oxen and camels, which may have been more suitable for their specific needs and environments.
#### 4. Historical Context
– The process of domesticating animals often requires a trial-and-error approach, which may not have been fully explored with zebras in Africa. Meanwhile, horses were already being used by early Eurasian civilizations, allowing for more extensive domestication efforts over time.
### Conclusion
In conclusion, the domestication of animals is a complex process influenced by biological, cultural, and historical factors. While zebras may have presented unique challenges for domestication in Africa, it’s essential to recognize the diversity of human-animal relationships across different cultures and regions. The domestication of horses in Eurasia and the lack of domestication of zebras in Africa are a testament to the intricate interplay between human societies and the natural world.
By understanding these factors, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the history of human-animal interactions and the ways in which different cultures have adapted to their environments. It’s a reminder that the domestication of animals is not a universal process, but one that is shaped by specific contexts and circumstances.
Now you have a better understanding of why indigenous people in Africa didn’t domesticate zebras in the same way early Europeans and Asians domesticated horses. 🦓🌍 If you found this article interesting, feel free to explore more about the relationships between humans and animals in different parts of the world. And if you have any more questions about this topic or any other topic related to indigenous cultures, history, or biology, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always here to provide informative and engaging content for curious minds like yours.
It is not just that they did not do this in the past.
You can see that they do not do it now, either.
It is the fact that zebras are very hard to domesticate.
So it is not the fault of the people, but of the zebra.
The simple answer is because Zebras have a bad attitude.
They are known for being unpredictable and attacking humans so they don’t make a good candidate for domestication.
This is true of most animals in Africa which is why domestication happened predominantly in the North with animals like Wolves, Sheep, Horses, and Aurox.
Zebras live in a place with a lot of predators so they are naturally nervous and jumpy so very hard to train.
Horses didn’t live in such a dangerous environment.
Zebras are not horses, horses have a family structure. That humans exploded to domesticate them. If a zebra gets caught, its family will leave it without any remorse.
I heard this put a very specific way once that makes perfect sense to me:
A horse will buck you off and run away.
A zebra will buck you off, turn around and trample you to death.
Makes sense to stay away from thems zebras.
Zebras are way, way harder to domesticate than horses. They are more stubborn, strong, and like to bite.
As CGP Grey explains, zebras are more independent and less friendly. They also really don’t like being penned in. More details in this short video.
From “The Legend of Tarzan:”
Williams : What I wouldn’t give for a horse right now. Why is it people don’t ride zebras?
John Clayton : Horses kick to escape. Zebras continue until you are dead.
It’s said zebras are wild tempered, but the quagga was more tractable. It was never impossible and aurochsen were scarcely docile, per primary sources.
The Horse the Wheel and Language demonstrates horses were domesticated near the Black Sea 6000 years ago. There may have been only one domesticatable stallion and all stallions today are its descendants.
Oreo murder donkeys are the living embodiment of disrespect that are full of black air force energy that will kick the shit out of you for no particular reason other than they feel like it. They cannot be tamed
One other thing is horses that were domesticated were not the giant horses we have now. Horses started off closer to pony size, which is a reason why they were used for chariots in the bronze age(1200 BC), rather than being ridden. The stepped peoples (think Ukraine to Mongolia) selectively bred larger and larger horses.
Zebras are not horses. While they live in giant heard there isn’t a bond between them the way there are with horses so you can use that to help train them. They are also very aggressive.
There is a place where you can feed animals that come up to your wagon.
When zebras approach, passengers are told NOT to feed them, and to back away.
They say zebras bite if they hate you and bite if they like you.
The indigenous peoples of Africa didn’t do much of anything in the same way as the Europeans or Asians. For better or for worse
The real answer is, nobody knows. The common hypothesis put forward is that zebras are especially difficult to domesticate, but there’s no evidence for this.
Parts of Africa didn’t adopt the wheel until the 19th century. Also Zebras have bad temperaments for domestication.
Okay NEW ELI5 question:
Why is it that zebras evolved to be less agreeable to human bs than the domesticated horse?
There are lions, leopards, hyenas, crocodiles and snakes, to name a few predators. The only zebras who could survive them were the aggressive ones.
As a consequence, the aggressive trait has been reinforced in zebras, which makes them significantly more difficult than horses to domesticate.
African animals are notoriously aggressive compared to life on other continents. There is speculation it is due to intense competition, cradle of civilization, etc
Consider some of the large African competitors: Lions, Hyenas, Buffalo, Hippo, Rhino, Elephant, Mongoose, Leopard, Caiman, Crocodile
Also, the Asian elephant was successfully domesticated, but we still have not domesticated the African elephant. They are too ornery.
They are hard to domesticate and could only effectively bear the weight of a person the size of a small teddy bear or large smurf.
Zebras are not ‘barcode horses’. it would be like asking why people didn’t domesticate and ride whitetail deer.
Even horses didn’t start out as horses as we knew them – they coudn’t be ridden. Thats why war chariots were popular in the very early days – get a cart and a couple of ‘horses’ and you could just about get moving at a decent clip. It took ages of breeding to get the beasts that the cowboys rode across the west.