By: Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, Ohio
Evolution teaches that the natural state of all animals is wild, not tame. They postulate that the taming of dogs, horses, and other animals required thousands of years.
The process they describe involved dogs eating the garbage deposited by humans and slowly, after many years, dogs that were genetically less fearful of humans became used to being around humans.
Concurrently, humans became used to the ‘wild’ dogs, and later, even positive about their presence. Eventually, humans began to feed them, causing the dogs to rely on humans for food instead of hunting rabbits.
After more thousands of years, humans and dogs became the close companions existing today. The creation view is quite different. Animals, from the time they were created, were tame. This trait was built into their nervous system.
This conclusion is taught when Adam named the animals that were brought to him (Genesis 2:20). The Scriptures also teach that, in the new world, “the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatted steer together; And a little child will lead them all” (Isaiah 11:6/AMP).
What is called the power of cuteness, is that humans are hardwired to perceive cuteness in an animal’s face and body.
This fact is not questioned by animal behaviorists. Creationists believe this perception was created in us. Evolutionists claim that this neurologically based perception evolved, although they have not been unable to explain how it evolved.
ANIMALS BORN TAME
Most mammals and primates, if raised from before they open their eyes, are naturally tame. If born in the wild, they learn from their mother (or the environment) to defend themselves.
They must learn defensive behavior in order to survive. If they are cared for before they open their eyes and fed by human caretakers, there is no necessity to learn defense behavior.
When they become sexually mature their hormones may take over causing them to display some aggression.
EXAMPLES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
One day, I noticed one of my students opening the trunk of her car and out came a skunk that jumped on her shoulder.
She then proceeded to walk towards the college to attend class with the skunk. I asked her why she kept him in the trunk.
She said the skunk cannot ride with her in the car as it insists on sitting on her lap or climbing on her shoulder.
The skunk was orphaned before it opened its eyes and the mother was dead, so she rescued it and fed it milk from a bottle. Since then, she had been taking care of it. It was docile, friendly, and very loving. In her words, the most loving pet she ever had.
Likewise, a friend, after finding a dead mother raccoon hit by a car, rescued her kit. He fed it using a baby bottle until it could consume solid food.
It behaved just like a dog, loving to socialize with people. When I visited his home, the baby raccoon was anxious to socialize with me.
Unfortunately, not all people who rescue a raccoon have a positive experience as did my two friends.
Many internet accounts relate experiences that, although bottle-fed before they open their eyes, baby raccoons can be aggressive, destructive, and can behave viciously toward some humans, especially during mating season.
As is true of dogs, raccoons also range in natural temperament from very aggressive to very docile. Dogs originally had a very wide range of temperaments, but humans have bred them to meet our needs which usually includes compliant, non-aggressive behavior, at least toward their master.
Breeders could do the same with raccoons so that the human experience for the vast majority is similar to the above examples.
Pet animals were affected by the Fall and the Curse of Genesis 3, as was all life, but due to disease or distemper or other reasons can turn on their human.
Another Experience is: I found a roadkill raccoon in front of our house and located its nest in our woods. One newborn was alive and four were dead. I brought the 4-inch little guy into our home, and slowly our mother cat accepted It, allowing it to feed with her week-old litter. The cat nursed him for about three weeks, and we started him on a fruit, milk, and tuna diet. The dogs taught him housebreaking rules and there were never any accidents. The raccoon grew more attached to the dogs and often played and wrestled with them. The raccoon loved to ride in the car. He learned where I kept car keys and would bring them to me when he wanted a DQ sundae. He very much wanted to please his 2-legged family. At sexual maturity he traded his gold life for the wildlife, and went to the woods, but often brought his mate and little ones for visits.
AN EXAMPLE FROM THE INTERNET
My raccoon would have turned seven years old this month. I rescued her when she was just two days old.
Despite being released several times, she always stayed close to home and came back to give birth to her babies. Watching her deliver and raise her kits was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. She survived distemper, poisoning, and attacks in the wild.
The distemper left her with neurological issues, and she has been indoors with me for almost five years.
We’ve been through so much together; we depended on each other. She could survive without me, but I couldn’t survive without her. The bond we developed was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
On her last night alive, she fell asleep on my chest. When I woke up, she was still there.
She looked up at me and licked my chin once, then took a few deep breaths and was gone. My heart is aching so badly. I feel completely lost without her. She was my soulmate, and there are no words to describe how much I loved her.
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Dr. Jerry Bergman has taught biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology for over 40 years at several colleges and universities including Bowling Green State University, Medical College of Ohio where he was a research associate in experimental pathology, and The University of Toledo. He is a graduate of the Medical College of Ohio, Wayne State University in Detroit, the University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University. He has over 1,800 publications in 12 languages and 60 books and monographs. His books and textbooks that include chapters that he authored are in over 1,500 college libraries in 27 countries.
