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Posted by Sue Tx
on 9/8/2008, 1:49 pm, in reply to "Re: Domestication, ownership of Zebras, New Poster!"
68.94.175.91
Loren, as always you cut to the chase on the domestication issue. I am excited about the new discoveries in the field of epigenetics and how it might apply to raising zebras. It has been shown that evolution does not need eons to take place. Two generations can effect amazing changes. Genes are turned on or off by enviromental influences and are transmitted to the following generation. I can imagine that the original horse must have been a tough customer and archaic man probably had his hands full making him a willing partner. Surely they would have given up if they didn't see fairly rapid progress. So something like the process of epigenetics must have played a part. And seems like it should for zebras, too.
What it would require, I would imagine, would be to breed zebras that have been raised and gentled by humans. So that the handling and nutrition would be taking place while the babies were in utero. Those babies might not show an immediate difference but their offspring might, Since the sperm and eggs are being created while the animal is still in the womb and being influenced by external factors. So lets start breeding our pet zebras and see where it takes us.
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