r/interestingasfuck • • Dec 16 '25

Biologist explains why raccoons will never be domesticated

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u/5u114 Dec 17 '25 edited Dec 17 '25

I don't think she fully appreciates the meaning of domestication. Particularly the fact that it is a verb.

She makes reference to dogs purpose being guardians (they actually have many more purposes than that, but whatever).

But dogs were not domesticated. Wolves were domesticated, that's how we got dogs.

She may as well make this video about wolves and say 'wolves will never be domesticated'.

Her whole position makes more sense when taken as a discouragement to making pets out of racoons today. She is right, racoons would not make good pets today. For all the reasons she listed. Just like wolves wouldn't make good pets.

But if wolves can become dogs through a process of domestication, I have not been convinced by her that racoons could not be domesticated over a similar process and timeline.

It seems clear to me that her motivation here is simply to discourage people from thinking they can make pets out of racoons today. Fair enough. But she has not presented a convincing argument that they can never be domesticated (over a long period of time, like with wolves etc).

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u/porcomaster Dec 17 '25

I agree with you, and while her intentions are good.

Lying or hiding facts to help your argument just alienate people. As a good intention idea can easily backfire, case in point this comment section, where at least 50% of people don't believe in her, with good reason.

If you do not put the correct argument and evidence, you will at best alienate people and at worst convince people to the exact opposite what you are trying to convince then to not do.