Why We Can and Should Domesticate Raccoons

Published on 2024-08-25

Why We Can and Should Domesticate Raccoons

Historically, we've trained various animals for specialized tasks: ferrets for cleaning particle accelerators (Fermilab, 2016), and dolphins for detecting underwater mines (Cancian, 2022). While dogs have long been celebrated as ideal pets and service animals, I argue that domesticated raccoons could surpass them in utility and companionship. This analysis explores how we can and why we should domesticate raccoons for the advancement of human civilization.

Raccoons are the ideal domestication candidate

Raccoons possess a unique combination of traits that make them exceptionally well-suited for domestication. Their intelligence, dexterity, and manageable size position them as potentially superior companions and assistants to humans. Let's explore why these masked mammals could revolutionize our relationship with domesticated animals.

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) possess a unique combination of intelligence, dexterity, and compact size that makes them ideal candidates for domestication and human assistance.

Intelligence

Raccoons demonstrate problem-solving skills comparable to those of primates (Stanton et al., 2017). They've been observed using tools to accomplish goals, such as using rocks to raise water levels to access food. Many researchers place raccoons' intelligence above that of dogs and on par with non-human primates.

Dexterity

With their semi-opposable thumbs, raccoons can manipulate objects and tools with remarkable precision. Unlike service dogs that require home modifications (e.g., attaching ropes to door handles), raccoons can naturally interact with human environments.

They could assist with tasks such as:

  • Opening doors
  • Opening pill jars
  • Threading wires in automobile manufacturing facilities

Small Form Factor

While chimpanzees are more intelligent and have fully opposable thumbs, their size and strength make them potentially dangerous to humans. Raccoons, at 38" long and weighing around 20 pounds, are much more manageable. This smaller size made raccoons the preferred subject for psychology research in the early 1900s, as they were easier to care for and control compared to chimpanzees (Davis, 2010).

We know how to do this

We've had the knowledge to domesticate animals for over 70 years. The Soviet Fox Domestication Experiment, initiated in 1959 by Russian geneticist Dmitri Belyaev, provides a successful model (Trut et al., 2009). Within just six generations, Belyaev's team produced "elite foxes"—fully domesticated animals that were not only friendly towards humans but also exhibited physical changes associated with domestication, such as smaller teeth, floppy ears, shorter snouts, and a more juvenile appearance..

This experiment has been replicated with other species, including minks and rats (Driscoll et al., 2009), suggesting that similar techniques can be used with raccoons.

Accelerating the Process: Williams Syndrome

While the Soviet experiment took decades to achieve near-complete domestication, we could potentially expedite this process by exploring genetic engineering. Williams syndrome in humans provides an intriguing parallel to animal domestication.

Williams syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by high sociability, lack of fear towards strangers, and certain physical features reminiscent of domesticated animals (Järvinen-Pasley et al., 2008). Recent research suggests that some genes involved in Williams syndrome in humans may also play a role in animal domestication (Zanella et al., 2019).

Studies have identified similar genetic deletions in dogs compared to wolves, further supporting the link between these genes and domestication traits (vonHoldt et al., 2017). This connection opens up possibilities for targeted genetic modifications in raccoons to achieve domestication more rapidly.

Business Opportunities

The pet industry is projected to grow from $320 billion to nearly $500 billion by 2030 (Bloomberg Intelligence, 2023). Domesticated raccoons could carve out a significant niche in this market, potentially rivaling the popularity of dogs.

Moreover, there's an opportunity to maintain genetic intellectual property, similar to Japan's approach with Wagyu cattle. Japan has implemented rigorous strategies to prevent unauthorized export of Wagyu genetic materials, considering them a national asset (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan, 2006). A similar approach could be applied to domesticated raccoon genetics, ensuring control over this valuable resource.

Long-Term Consequences

Domesticated raccoons could revolutionize various sectors:

  • Service animals: Their intelligence and dexterity make them ideal for assisting individuals with disabilities.
  • Military and search-and-rescue operations: Their small size allows them to access tight spaces or dangerous environments.
  • Companionship: As intelligent, long-lived pets, they could offer a unique form of animal companionship.
  • Labor: Their manual dexterity could be utilized in commercial labor contexts. In the early 20th century, an enterprising businessman even trained raccoons to perform chimney sweeps (Washington Post, 1906).

The potential impact of domesticated raccoons on human society is vast and largely unexplored. As we continue to push the boundaries of genetic science and animal behavior, the domestication of raccoons represents an exciting frontier in human-animal relationships.

If you're intrigued by this concept and want to discuss further, please reach out to me at hey[at]oliviali.me.

References

  1. Bloomberg Intelligence. (2023). Global pet industry to grow to $500 billion by 2030, Bloomberg Intelligence finds. https://www.bloomberg.com/company/press/global-pet-industry-to-grow-to-500-billion-by-2030-bloomberg-intelligence-finds/

  2. Cancian, M. (2022, July 22). Why It Makes Sense to Keep Mine-Hunting Dolphins on the Job. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2022/07/why-it-makes-sense-to-keep-mine-hunting-dolphins-on.html

  3. Fermilab. (2016, October 13). Felicia helps out. Fermilab News. https://news.fnal.gov/2016/10/felicia-helps-out/

  4. Davis, H. (2010). The raccoon whisperer. Monitor on Psychology, 41(10), 52. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/11/raccoon

  5. Driscoll, C. A., Macdonald, D. W., & O'Brien, S. J. (2009). From wild animals to domestic pets, an evolutionary view of domestication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(Supplement 1), 9971-9978.

  6. Järvinen-Pasley, A., Bellugi, U., Reilly, J., Mills, D. L., Galaburda, A., Reiss, A. L., & Korenberg, J. R. (2008). Defining the social phenotype in Williams syndrome: A model for linking gene, the brain, and behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 20(1), 1-35.

  7. Kahn, J. (2018, March 1). Ferrets Join the Workforce at the Large Hadron Collider. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ferrets-join-workforce-large-hadron-collider-180968242/

  8. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan. (2006). 家畜の遺伝資源の保護・活用のあり方について [Protection and Utilization of Livestock Genetic Resources: Interim Report]. https://www.maff.go.jp/j/study/katiku_iden/pdf/cyukan_matome.pdf

  9. Stanton, L., Davis, E., Johnson, S., Gilbert, A., & Benson-Amram, S. (2017). Adaptation of the Aesop's Fable paradigm for use with raccoons (Procyon lotor): considerations for future application in non-avian and non-primate species. Animal Cognition, 20(6), 1147-1152.

  10. Trut, L., Oskina, I., & Kharlamova, A. (2009). Animal evolution during domestication: the domesticated fox as a model. BioEssays, 31(3), 349-360.

  11. vonHoldt, B. M., Shuldiner, E., Koch, I. J., Kartzinel, R. Y., Hogan, A., Brubaker, L., ... & Udell, M. A. (2017). Structural variants in genes associated with human Williams-Beuren syndrome underlie stereotypical hypersociability in domestic dogs. Science Advances, 3(7), e1700398.

  12. Washington Post. (1906, October 13). Smart raccoons: are trained to clean chimneys and owner is getting rich. p. 6.

  13. Zanella, M., Vitriolo, A., Andirko, A., Martins, P. T., Sturm, S., O'Rourke, T., ... & Testa, G. (2019). Dosage analysis of the 7q11. 23 Williams region identifies BAZ1B as a major human gene patterning the modern human face and underlying self-domestication. Science Advances, 5(12), eaaw7908.