| Draught Animal |
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The history of working animals is as old as agriculture, and possibly longer, some speculate, and has encompassed most aspects of human civilization down to the present day with millions of animals working in symbiotic relationships with their owners around the world, particularly in poorer countries and in agricultural industries. Different types of animals are used around the world depending on the conditions and the specific intended use of the animal. Domesticated species are often bred in several types of Breed s suitable for different uses and conditions, in addition to Pet s, especially Horse s and Working Dog s. Specialised breeds Working animals are usually raised on farms although some are still captured from the wild - such as some Asian elephants. DRAUGHT ANIMALS A draught animal is an animal used for its physical (i.e. muscular) power, as in Transport and haulage, such as pulling Cart s or sleds, hauling goods, and Plow ing fields. Animal-powered Transport for movement of people and goods is a major category of working animals. People ride some of the larger of these animals directly as mounts, use them as pack animals to carry goods, or Harness one or a team to pull Vehicle s. Such animals are sometimes known as ''beasts of burden''. Riding animals or mounts These carry man himself, which steers in the saddle or bare back, revolutionizing history by increasing human mobility. They include Equine s such as Horse s, Ponies , Donkey s, and Mule s. Further Elephant s; camels (two humps) and Dromedaries (one) are very common in arid areas, including North Africa and the Middle East , and are used for both transportation and haulage. The Bactrian Camel , the world's only remaining other camel, is far rarer than the dromedary and inhabits Central and East Asia , where it is also used for transportation and haulage. As the practice of using working animals spans millennia it has accrued much folk lore and forms an important connection between Religion And Agriculture , and is a specific focus of research in Agricultural Science .
Pack animals Often these belong to the same species as mounts, though breeds may be specialized (such as Pack-horse s. Other species are more exclusively used to carry loads, such as Llama s in the Andes . Bovine s include Water Buffalo (as distinct from Bison ), Ox en, Bullock s, and Yak s (the latter adapted to extreme conditions in the Himalaya s). Other species include dogs, deer and goats. Carrier Pigeon s are a type of pack animal which usually transport written information through the air. An introduction to the subject was prepared to stimulate international research and published as 'Introduction to Working Animals' in the 1980s Harnassed vehicle pull An intermediate use is to harness them, singly or in Team s, to pull (or haul) Sled s or wheeled Vehicle s.
Other draught animals Animal power is also used to drive various machines and heavy devices that are not mere loads, and for ploughing: especially Ox en (often considered the best animals for heavy work, especially where surefootedness is necessary or if wet conditions prevail but they are required in numbers that make them expensive to procure and they are generally hard to raise in more arid climates) and Water Buffalo (in tropical or very wet subtropical areas, often used in rice-growing). Often the same species as beasts of burden, especially in a tread-mill, e.g. to grind or to pump, but other kinds can also be put to work. RETRIEVAL AND SIMILAR LARGELY SENSORIAL TASKS Hunting and fishing animals As predatory species are naturally equipped to catch prey, this is also an interesting economical use whenever man manages to 'harvest' their prey (if of value to man) and substitute it with cheaper food; the same can also be done either for sport (reviled by many as cruelty to animals), to reduce pest species or to control the population of species that are considered harmful to crops, Livestock or the environment.
Man hunt Mainly Hound s are used to find and catch or eliminate human 'prey', such as escaped prisoners because of their highly developed sense of smell. Other gathering
Rescue
OTHER USES The sensorial functions and natural defensive and offensive means (such as fangs and claws) of various species can be used to protect or -mainly in the case of predatory species- to attack humans.
For various tasks (often corresponding to civilian uses) in military and similar context, see Military Animals HUMAN TOIL While the primate species known as man (''Homo sapiens sapiens''; the Latin scientific name, ''sapiens'' meaning 'wise' or knowledgeable, suggests genetic superiority justified only by its high intelligence) has often, even in modern times (when technologial advances and rising labour costs caused much human abour to be substituted for by machines), been exploited (especially in slavery and other unfree status) and exploiting himself as a production factor for similar or even identical tasks as various other working animals, it is usually considered a reproach or insult to equate human (mainly manual) labor with working animals. Nevertheless, in terms of natural history, the period when culture allowed humans to live significantly differently to animals (hunting and gathering is essentially animal subsistence) is still too short period of time to count as more then an experiment. Even in historical times, humans have not only continued to toil 'like beasts' but often been (ab)used against their will as working animals, often subject to Physical Punishment (adversaries generally consider it inhuman and degrading) if productivity is not deemed satisfactory, either as a punishment (see Penal Labor ) or in an institutional, legally sometimes rightless state as Slave in the broad sense of the term), e.g. the convicted Galley slave was often deliberately treated more cruelly than any beast of burden. Often the economic analysis in Agricultural Science of substitution between human and animal power shows that traditional societies make worse decisions concerning Animal Welfare than the welfare of their citizens. REFERENCE |