Taming wild animals

In 2019 the State Darwin Museum prepared a special programme to celebrate the 210^th birth anniversary of Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution. The first project of this programme is the exhibition “Taming wild animals”. It tells the story of how people learned to change the appearance and skills of domestic animals, birds and insects. The project is held by cooperation of the State Darwin Museum, the Museum of Orlov trotter and Russian troika, the E.F. Liskun State Museum of Animal Husbandry.      

Charles Darwin was one of the first scientists who described artificial selection, the force that continuously changes domestic animals. How were wild animals, birds and insects gradually changed by people? Dogs became the first domestic animals. Their ancestors were tamed in the Stone Age, about 14 000 years ago. However, only a few dozens of animals became domesticated. What was the reason? The exhibition “Taming wild animals” will tell about successful attempts and failures in the domestication of animals.

Some rare exhibits are over 100 years old and an attentive visitor might notice how standards and skills of various breeds had changed in a relatively short time. The Yakutian horse is one of such rare exhibits. These horses are able to live in extremely low temperatures.

Alexander Kohts, the founder of the State Darwin Museum, encouraged the best Russian animal artists to create series of paintings depicting various breeds of domestic doves, pigs, horses and rabbits. Some works by V.A. Vatagin, V.V. Trofimov, A.N. Komarov and V.A. Belyshev will be exhibited in the museum for the first time.

Актуальные мероприятия

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