In the vast African savannas, the presence of abundant wildlife is a standout characteristic. However, an interesting question arises: why haven’t the indigenous peoples of Africa domesticated these animals, as Asian and European civilizations have done with other species?
In contrast to Asia, which has developed a robust agricultural culture through the domestication of various animals such as cattle, horses, donkeys, sheep, and poultry, Africa has primarily maintained hunting and gathering practices. This difference has created a relatively stable “happy” state, where indigenous peoples don’t require much effort to meet their food needs. The rich natural conditions and the ease of finding food without reliance on agriculture have diminished the urgent need for animal domestication.
The fact that indigenous Africans have never domesticated many wild species in the savanna is a very intriguing question with many complex intertwining causes.
The essence of domestication is tied to settled environments and agricultural development; however, most ancient African peoples lived a nomadic lifestyle without permanent settlement. Consequently, the lack of a stable community and the need for food storage also led to their lack of necessity to domesticate animals for agriculture.
Moreover, domestication requires specific conditions: animals need to have a diet that is not too different from that of humans, exhibit rapid growth rates, be easy to breed, and be suitable for providing utility such as labor, food, or transportation. However, large animal species in Africa like antelopes and zebras do not meet these criteria. They are too wild, wary of humans, and much harder to control compared to those species that have been domesticated in other regions.
Many species in the African savanna are aggressive and fiercely territorial. Approaching and domesticating them is extremely dangerous.
In a program by CCTV, China, host Chai Jing explained seven conditions that must be met for an animal species to be domesticated: not requiring too much food or demanding a food source beyond human capabilities; having a fast growth rate; being easy to breed and adapt to captivity; not being overly sensitive to external stimuli; being easy to manage and beneficial to humans in terms of economic value, labor, food, or transportation.
However, animal species in Africa, such as antelopes and zebras, lack these qualities. They tend to remain fiercely wild, difficult to control, and unsuitable for stable labor, food supply, or transport. Zebras were once attempted to be domesticated by South Africans for transport purposes, but this effort was not sustainable and gradually faded during the British colonial period.
African animals have evolved to survive in harsh environments, capable of foraging for food and water without relying on humans.
Some nomadic tribes, such as the Maasai, although they have livestock, do not actually have a need to domesticate animals because they frequently move to find food, water, and grazing areas. The livestock and sheep of the Maasai are not native animals but were brought into Africa from agricultural regions about 3,000 years ago, creating a unique pastoral system. However, for the majority of ancient African populations, hunting and gathering remain a traditional practice rather than a culture of domestication and animal husbandry.
The African savanna has a hot, arid climate with unstable food and water sources. Caring for animals under such conditions requires considerable effort and high skill.
In other parts of the world, agricultural development and cultivation are key factors in animal domestication. However, ancient Africans did not face the urgent food needs as seen in Asia or Europe, where harsher conditions and insufficient food sources drove the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Therefore, they did not need to invest time and effort into the challenging domestication process, which requires many generations.
Historically, indigenous peoples living in environments with abundant natural food sources, such as indigenous peoples in the Americas and pre-colonial Africa, often did not develop strong agricultural systems and maintained lifestyles based on natural resources. Easy living conditions, abundant natural food, and a culture of gathering and hunting are factors that made these communities lack a strong motivation to develop animal domestication techniques and advance towards agricultural civilization.
Living conditions in Africa discourage the local population from developing animal domestication techniques.
The development of agriculture and civilization associated with animal domestication is not only the result of technological invention but also a response to urgent survival needs and major changes in living environments. African peoples have chosen a lifestyle that aligns with their natural and cultural conditions, a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with nature. The lack of domestication of wild animals is not a regression but a clever adaptation to their living environment and maintenance of traditional cultural identity.
