There are so many wild animals in the African savannah, why have the natives never domesticated them?

In the vast African savannah, the presence of abundant wildlife is a prominent feature. However, an interesting question arises, why did the indigenous people of Africa not domesticate them, as Asian or European civilizations did with other animals?

Compared to Asia, where agricultural culture flourished, thanks to the domestication of many animals such as cattle, horses, donkeys, sheep, and poultry, Africa was dominated by hunting and gathering . This difference created a relatively stable state of "happiness", where the indigenous people did not need much effort to meet their dietary needs. The abundant natural conditions, easy to find food without depending on agriculture, reduced the urgent need for animal domestication.

Why indigenous Africans never domesticated many of the wild animals of the savannah is a fascinating question, and one that has many complex and intertwined reasons.

The nature of domestication is closely linked to the settled environment and agricultural development, but most ancient African peoples lived nomadic lives, without permanent settlements . Therefore, the lack of a stable community and the need to store food also led to the need for them to domesticate animals for farming.

In addition, domestication requires specific conditions: the animal must have a diet not too different from that of humans, be able to reproduce rapidly, be easily controlled, and be suitable for providing use values ​​such as labor, food, or transportation. However, large African animals such as antelopes, zebras, and many others do not meet these criteria. They are too wild, wary of humans, and much more difficult to control than domesticated species elsewhere.

Many animals in the African savannah are aggressive and fiercely territorial. Approaching and taming them is extremely dangerous.

In a program on China's CCTV, host Chai Jing explained seven conditions that must be met for an animal to be domesticated : not eating too much or requiring food beyond the capacity of humans to provide; having a fast growth rate; easy to reproduce and adapt to captivity; not too sensitive to external stimuli; easy to control and good for humans in terms of economy, labor, food, or transportation.

African animals, such as antelopes and zebras, however, do not have these qualities. They tend to be wild, hard to control, and unsuitable for work, food, or steady transport. South Africans attempted to domesticate zebras for transport, but these efforts were unsustainable and they gradually disappeared during the British colonial period.

Animals in Africa have evolved to survive in harsh environments, being able to find their own food and water, independent of humans.

Some nomadic tribes, such as the Maasai, although they have livestock, in fact they do not need to domesticate animals because they often move in search of food, water and grazing areas. The Maasai cattle and sheep are also not native animals but were brought into Africa from other agricultural areas about 3,000 years ago, thereby creating a special livestock system. But for the majority of ancient African people, hunting and gathering remained a traditional practice, instead of domesticating and raising animals .

The African savanna has a hot, dry climate with unstable food and water sources. Raising and caring for animals in such conditions requires a lot of effort and high technology.

In other parts of the world, the development of agriculture and farming was a key factor in the domestication of animals. However, ancient Africans did not face the same urgent need for food as those in Asia or Europe , where harsher conditions and limited food supplies drove the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Therefore, they did not need to invest the time and effort in the difficult, multi-generational process of domestication.

Historically, indigenous peoples living in environments with abundant natural food sources, such as the indigenous peoples of the Americas and pre-colonial Africa, did not develop intensive agriculture and maintained a subsistence-based lifestyle. The ease of living, the abundance of natural food sources, and the hunting and gathering culture were factors that prevented these communities from having a strong motivation to develop animal domestication and advance to agricultural civilization.

Living conditions in Africa left people with no incentive to develop animal domestication techniques.

The development of agriculture and civilization associated with the domestication of animals is not only the result of technical inventions but also the result of urgent living needs and major changes in the living environment. The peoples of Africa have chosen a lifestyle that is suitable to their natural and cultural conditions, a sustainable lifestyle, in harmony with nature. Not domesticating wild animals is not a backwardness but a way to skillfully adapt to the living environment and maintain traditional cultural identity.