And the fox is in the world of miracles

An experiment on domestication of the fox was supposed to lead to new successes of the USSR in fur production, and led to a network scandal

Girl with a fox

Above the gloomy hostages of the hour, the peak in black jackets towered a fabulous fox. She sat calmly on the girl’s shoulders and looked at passengers with such a everyday look, as if she were a child who was planted on her shoulders, so as not to push under her feet. But the next scandal erupted on the network, the video collected millions of views. Then he was shown on all central channels, bloodthirstily hinting that the “good hat” would be safer for passengers. From now on, Anastasia and Asu will move around the city only by taxi.

“It’s hard to carry the fox in the carrying, because the weight of the carrying of about three kilograms, and the fox itself weighs about ten. And when she sits on her shoulders, the weight is distributed. In addition, the fox animals are restless and a stress trip for them - they should see what is happening around. Most foxes took the fox in the same way, but I was “lucky” to get into the lens, and then I read a bunch of ridiculous comments, which can not be in the subway, since it would attack people, and in general it will bit me at night. At the same time, for some reason, dissatisfied for some reason only on the Internet, in life, with rare exceptions, everyone is touched. It happens that you are sitting in the carriage, and the person tells you: “Thank you for appearing in my life, my day has become much better.” But this hype crumpled me, it became impossible to appear in a public place. Now I will have to spend money because of someone’s whims. ”

Perhaps in the near future, in connection with the adoption of the Law on Animals, Anastasia and Auska will have even more problems. For example, now she will always have to drive a fox in a muzzle, but, according to Anastasia, this is also only a reason for stress. “There are much more aggression in people than in the fox! Asuka has not yet touched anyone, even when they began to crush it without my permission or to click on the nose. ”

Anastasia and Aska photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

And here is how the Lisovod and Moderator of the Home Fox community commented by Evgeny Mikhnin. “From my point of view, the law is completely not correct, not reflecting reality and questioning any manipulations with animals. The concept of “wild animals” is formulated so that absolutely all animals living on our planet can be considered wild. Therefore, further discussions about what can be done with the wild and what with the family does not make sense. Such a law can be interpreted as you like, and, apparently, everything will be decided in private. ”

An exemplary Soviet animal

In the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok, one of the most spectacular utopian projects to tame nature developed in the USSR was implemented. And in contrast, say, rivers that refused to turn back, the foxes of Soviet dreamers did not let down and domesticated in the shortest possible time.

Aska photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

The domestication of foxes in Novosibirsk began in the late 50s. The experiment was the beginning of the revival of the scientific approach, although Trofim Lysenko, who denied the principles of classical genetics, in those days was still the director of the Institute of Genetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, the author of the idea of domestication, under which the experience was conducted, Professor Dmitry Belyaev, participated in the restoration of the heritage of academician Vavilov. “Our institute in this sense was a pioneer,” says Yuri Gerbec, an employee of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics . - It was here that disgraced genetics gathered, which were fired from everywhere in 1948. I think that Belyaev survived because he was not at the Academy of Sciences, but under the Minister of Trade Mikoyan, who reasoned sensibly: genetics helped to receive soft gold - fur. "

Aska photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

It was assumed that domesticated foxes would multiply twice a year, and not one, like wild ones. But the irony of fate, and, perhaps, only because the scientists themselves were least interested in the successes of fur trade, the experiment failed in this part. Sometimes experimental foxes multiplied more, sometimes not, each new generation was different. In addition, domesticated foxes do not differ in luxurious wool - there is still no clarity here, this happens due to a certain genetic failure, or only because selection is carried out not on the principle of the best fur, but on the principle of non -aggressive nature.

Anastasia and Aska photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

If the transformation of the wolf into a dog lasted millennia and happened by itself, since a more friendly person more often threw a bone, what prevents you from trying to cross animals aimed? About this, Belyaev thought, he decided to choose a fox loyal to a person and promised to get non -aggressive individuals literally for several years. “For me, this is not just unbelievable, I would say that this foresight is close to genius! - commented by Yuri Herbec. -Yes, some assumptions have not come true, but the main idea that system regulators will be destabilized that control not only behavior, but the body as a whole-hormonal systems, whose central part is in the brain-this idea has fully justified itself. All experimental foxes had no aggression after the fourth generation, that is, four years later! Another thing is that we have different “manuals” scores - then it continued to grow, by the twentieth generation a completely new fox was formed with all the basic and indirect signs of domestication. ”

Home foxes Aska and Iblis Photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

In the 60s, Belyaev erupted a public dispute with the founder of the Novosibirsk Institute Nikolai Dubinin, who denied the significant influence of genetics on behavior and reinforced his arguments with references to the Marxist-Leninist theory. But in the 70s, the ideologist of domestication provided one of the most brilliant arguments. The embryos of aggressive foxes transplanted to non -aggressive and vice versa and found out that education and environment do not have a decisive effect. In any case, on the fox: aggressive, born and fed at the domesticated, remained aggressive. Calm, who found themselves in the wild, also retained their genetically determined character.

Lisyta-Okazniki

Since Belyaev’s experiments, everything has changed dramatically - the state has disappeared, hoping to double the production of furs and supplies the new man from the new fox. In addition, the transformation of ethics made the fox collars unpopular. Now it is fashionable to have not furs, but the living foxes. Since 2011, you can buy a certified vaccinated fox in Novosibirsk, if necessary, the service also includes transportation to another city. After that, the enthusiasts of the “salvation” of the fox also appeared. Today, fur factories make money not only on human ruthlessness, but also on compassion. So, by going to the site of the Saltykovskaya animal farm near Moscow, you can put in the basket both a skin and " young " completely the same colors. “Come, they rejoice at you, wag their tail,” says Anastasia. “And you understand that they will be killed soon.” A very miserable sight. There are people who lend themselves to emotions, buy them in dozens, and then do not know what to do with them. Now, in winter, there are many refuseniks who were bought like that, then they realized that the fox is horror, and try to get rid of all possible ways. I’ve been doing foxes for three years, and it’s normal for me, but in order to be so, I had to spend a huge amount of time, effort and money and actually become a dog handler. ”

Asuka in the Moscow metro photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

They just refused Aski many times. The fox passed from hand to hand until she got to Anastasia, who was able to cope with her. “Animals are also acquired with hands, often receiving completely incorrect information from resellers,” Mikhnin comments. - This is a constant turnover in our vast Motherland. Even how many of them are in the capital, it is difficult to say, this is a very floating figure. If in the same Saltykovka they buy at the beginning of the year, conditionally, a hundred foxes, then it is completely incomprehensible how many dozen will live with their owners by the end of the year-someone dies from the wrong handling, someone is simply thrown away. We try to help in the attachment of refuseniks: the community has a form that anyone can fill in, and it will be published on the wall. ”

Aska on a walk photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

Eugene bought his fox in Novosibirsk, but explains that even there it may not be lucky to get to the fox with signs of aggressiveness. “If there are principles and money, then you can buy in Novosibirsk - there the fox costs from fifty thousand, and at the near Moscow, you can buy for ten,” says Anastasia. - But they have their own minus: the institute considers the fox to be its intellectual property and sells only castrated ones, which cannot be done with puppies, so they are already selling adults. And to educate adult, of course, is more difficult. So for me, Novosibirsk is just a brand, like an iPhone instead of Samsung - to whom. ”

Together with love for a person, domesticated animals receive other features: the structure of the jaws changes, a dense connection with the light day, characteristic of living in the wild, is lost, and communication methods are transformed. But the most funny and famous sign of domesticity is changes in color coloring and the appearance of white spots, all known from the stars on the forehead of horses or cows. Residents of Novosibirsk will tell you: they say, our foxes confirmed that “white and fluffy” means “good”. But, firstly, they were not very fluffy, and secondly, as the Herbeck explains, not so white.

Aska photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

“The fact that aggressive foxes are darker is one of the myths - in foxes it is not very well observed, but, by the way, it is not badly observed in minks. As for white, it appears, because it is not a color, not an additional element, but on the contrary, the absence of something, in this case, melanin. When calling certain genes, it is destabilized by the promotion of special cells that are responsible for coloring. They simply do not reach these areas of the skin. Moreover, in which genes these violations occur are still unknown - this is one of the future stages of our study. ”

The study of genes responsible for friendliness, anxiety, aggression also promises some socially significant discoveries. Researchers suggest that the “fox model” can give additional information about the behavior and mental characteristics of a person, in particular, about the nature of schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit syndrome, Williams syndrome. But while scientists are full of enthusiasm, the foxes continue to suffer: the laboratory cage, maybe the best fate than a short life at the animal farm, but entering private hands often turns into a drama. Hyperactive foxes often endanger themselves - they accidentally suffocate on collars, can become victims of homeless dogs on a walk or just escape. And such a beast, of course, is no longer capable of surviving free. So, forcing the fox to trust himself, the man made the animal hostage of this genetically modified love.

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Domestication Fox animals Protection of animals foxes