Domesticated animals for assisting people

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Working animal</span>

Working animal

<p>A <b>working animal</b> is an animal, usually <a href="/en/Domestication" title="Domestication" class="wl">domesticated</a>, that is kept by humans and trained to <a href="/en/Human_uses_of_animals" title="Human uses of animals" class="wl">perform tasks</a> instead of being <a href="/en/Animal_slaughter" title="Animal slaughter" class="wl">slaughtered</a> to harvest <a href="/en/Animal_product" title="Animal product" class="wl">animal products</a>. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. <a href="/en/Ox" title="Ox" class="wl">oxen</a> and <a href="/en/Draft_horse" title="Draft horse" class="wl">draft horses</a>) or for transportation (e.g. <a href="/en/Riding_horse" title="Riding horse" class="wl">riding horses</a> and <a href="/en/Camel" title="Camel" class="wl">camels</a>), while others are <a href="/en/Service_animal" title="Service animal" class="wl">service animals</a> trained to execute certain specialized tasks (e.g. <a href="/en/Hunting_dog" title="Hunting dog" class="wl">hunting</a> and <a href="/en/Guide_dog" title="Guide dog" class="wl">guide dogs</a>, <a href="/en/Messenger_pigeon" title="Messenger pigeon" class="mw-redirect wl">messenger pigeons</a> and <a href="/en/Cormorant_fishing" title="Cormorant fishing" class="wl">fishing cormorants</a>). They may also be used for milking or <a href="/en/Herding" title="Herding" class="wl">herding</a>. Some, at the end of their working lives, may also be used for meat or other products such as <a href="/en/Leather" title="Leather" class="wl">leather</a>.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Domesticated animals for assisting people</div>
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<figure class="wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Bullock_team.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Bullock_team.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Bullock_team.jpg/300px-Bullock_team.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1300" data-file-height="896" data-file-type="bitmap" height="207" width="300" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Bullock_team.jpg/450px-Bullock_team.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Bullock_team.jpg/600px-Bullock_team.jpg 2x" alt="Bullock_team.jpg"></a><figcaption>A <a href="/en/Cattle" title="Cattle" class="wl">bullock</a> team hauling <a href="/en/Wool" title="Wool" class="wl">wool</a> in <a href="/en/New_South_Wales" title="New South Wales" class="wl">New South Wales</a></figcaption></figure>
<p>The history of working animals may predate <a href="/en/Agriculture" title="Agriculture" class="wl">agriculture</a>, with dogs used by our <a href="/en/Hunter-gatherer" title="Hunter-gatherer" class="wl">hunter-gatherer</a> ancestors. Around the world, millions of animals work in relationship with their owners. Domesticated species are often <a href="/en/Breed" title="Breed" class="wl">bred</a> for different uses and conditions, especially horses and <a href="/en/Working_dog" title="Working dog" class="wl">working dogs</a>. Working animals are usually raised on <a href="/en/Farm" title="Farm" class="wl">farms</a>, though some are still captured from the wild, such as dolphins and some <a href="/en/Asian_elephant" title="Asian elephant" class="wl">Asian elephants</a>.</p>
<figure class="wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg/300px-Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1386" data-file-height="924" data-file-type="bitmap" height="200" width="300" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg/450px-Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg/600px-Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg 2x" alt="Traditional_ploughing_-_Karnataka.jpg"></a><figcaption>Traditional farming methods using oxen</figcaption></figure>
<p>People have found uses for a wide variety of abilities in animals, and even industrialised societies use many animals for work. People use the strength of horses, elephants, and <a href="/en/Ox" title="Ox" class="wl">oxen</a> to pull carts and move loads. Police forces use dogs for finding illegal substances and assisting in apprehending wanted persons, others use dogs to find game or search for missing or trapped people. People use various animals—<a href="/en/Camel" title="Camel" class="wl">camels</a>, <a href="/en/Donkey" title="Donkey" class="wl">donkeys</a>, horses, dogs, etc.—for transport, either for riding or to pull wagons and sleds. Other animals, including dogs and <a href="/en/Monkey" title="Monkey" class="wl">monkeys</a>, help <a href="/en/Disabled" title="Disabled" class="mw-redirect wl">disabled</a> people.</p>

<p>On rare occasions, wild animals are not only tamed, but <a href="/en/Animal_training" title="Animal training" class="wl">trained</a> to perform work—though often solely for novelty or entertainment, as such animals tend to lack the trustworthiness and mild temper of true domesticated working animals. Conversely, not all domesticated animals are working animals. For example, while cats may catch mice, it is an instinctive behaviour, not one that can be trained by human intervention. Other domesticated animals, such as sheep or rabbits, may have agricultural uses for meat, <a href="/en/Hide_(skin)" title="Hide (skin)" class="wl">hides</a> and <a href="/en/Wool" title="Wool" class="wl">wool</a>, but are not suitable for work. Finally, small domestic pets, such as most small birds (other than certain types of <a href="/en/Carrier_pigeon" title="Carrier pigeon" class="mw-redirect wl">pigeon</a>) are generally incapable of performing work other than providing companionship.</p>



A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks instead of being slaughtered to harvest animal products. Some are used for their physical strength or for transportation , while others are service animals trained to execute certain specialized tasks . They may also be used for milking or herding. Some, at the end of their working lives, may also be used for meat or other products such as leather. The history of working animals may predate agriculture, with dogs used by our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Around the world, millions of animals work in relationship with their owners. Domesticated species are often bred for different uses and conditions, especially horses and working dogs. Working animals are usually raised on farms, though some are still captured from the wild, such as dolphins and some Asian elephants. People have found uses for a wide variety of abilities in animals, and even industrialised societies use many animals for work. People use the strength of horses, elephants, and oxen to pull carts and move loads. Police forces use dogs for finding illegal substances and assisting in apprehending wanted persons, others use dogs to find game or search for missing or trapped people. People use various animals—camels, donkeys, horses, dogs, etc.—for transport, either for riding or to pull wagons and sleds. Other animals, including dogs and monkeys, help disabled people. 