The following is taken from Bob Church's posting of 01/09 of the FERRET-L
Digest 01/08-09/99 #2550
>Domestication is a process which is almost exclusively controlled by humans
>and is thus not considered by many to be a "natural" process.  Of course
>it is, for excluding the selective agent (humans), the rest of the process
>is virtually identical.  Which mean, the *RATE* of change is correlated to
>the *DEGREE* of selection and its *INTENSITY*, and therefore is not time
>dependant.  In other words, the length of domestication *HAS NO BEARING* on
>the degree of change (it does, but is so gradual when compared to intensive
>human selection that it fades to unimportance).
 
Would that BC had the time and inclination, would he (or anybody else)
comment on my puzzlements.
 
Domestication defined:  to "adapt" an animal or plant to life in intimate
association with a human being,
 
                          and
 
to "adapt" it in such a manner to the advantage of the human being.
 
Training defined: action by a human being to direct the growth of a plant
or animal
 
                          and
 
to form by instruction, teach, discipline/reward so as to make fit,
qualified or proficient in a behavior demanded by a human being.
 
With regard to the above two definintions, I must confess that our ferret
appears to be a trained animal rather than a domesticated animal.  For
example, don't we strive to direct the growth of the ferret and don't we
try always to train the ferret to accomplish our desires foremost, rather
than let the ferret have his own way?
 
Also, most of us are not really successful in "adapting" the ferret to
remain in intimate association with a human being (ferret proofing and
the ease of which ferrets are always inclined to escape your home) nor
are we really successful in adapting the ferret's behavior or body to our
advantage and benefit (excluding our need for hedonism).
 
The current practice of the commercial ferret "manufacturers" and most
ferret shelters that insist on neutering and spaying of ferrets seems
absolutely contrary to the further training or domestication (?) of the
ferret.  Is it not through selective breeding of specially handpicked
breeder animals in a large population that training or domestication(?)
is accelerated per unit time?  It would seem that the current ferret
propagation practices are pressuring the ferrets more strongly toward
extinction rather than training or domestication (?).
 
In addition, the ferret seems to lack the domestication of a dog or cat in
so far that it's association with a human infant appears "animalisticly
carnivorous" whereas the dog or cat does not bite the human infant in like
manner.
 
With dogs and cats, their aggressiveness seems more focused on older human
beings (older than infants) presumably to fulfill their urge to maintain
territoriality, protection, and pack instinct, especially on a creature
that turns and runs away.
 
Church's offering following is confusing to me:
>Which mean, the *RATE* of change is correlated to the *DEGREE* of selection
>and its *INTENSITY*, and therefore is not time dependant.
 
The definition of *RATE* is: a fixed ratio between two things, such as a
quantity, amount, or degree of something measured per unit of something
else.  I simply have great difficulty in accepting the term *RATE* as not
being time related, such as velocity in terms of distance covered per unit
of time, as, for example, 35 miles per hour speed.
 
Church, to the contrary, denies time related to *RATE* but instead relates
it to *DEGREE* and *INTENSITY* of selection.  Possibly we may all benefit
by further definition by Church, because I sense that I'm not the only one
absolutely bewildered by his statement.  If there is a difference between
degrees and intensities of selection I just don't see it.  Do you?
 
Edward Lipinski, der Frager stellt Ruprecht Kirche Von Gelehrsamkeit an.
[G.]  Edw Lipinski, the questioner asking of Robert Church of Erudition.
[Posted in FML issue 2555]