ABSTRACT
Using a dossier of anecdotal material provided by 18th- and 19th- century explorers and naturalists, Galton noted that the habit of capturing and nurturing tame wild animals as pets was widespread among what he regarded as 'primitive' people. Although Galton's idea has been supported by more recent authorities particularly in relation to the domestication of dogs and, to a lesser extent, pigs and poultry it has lately become less fashionable as a general explanation for the origins of domestication. Anthropologists have devoted surprisingly little attention to the possible functions of pet-keeping, although attitudes to pets. Anthropological reluctance to speculate about the functions of pet-keeping may stem from misunderstandings about the nature of this activity, or its impact on pre-agricultural societies. Galton's theory cannot be used to explain why animal domestication occurred when and where it did. It does, however, provide a plausible scenario for the development of more intensive systems of animal exploitation when and where such systems were required.
