INSTANT domestication OF WILD ANIMALS?

Question

I was thinking maybe if somehow you could zap away at the part of the brain that controls aggressive behaviour you could instantly domesticate a wild animal like a tiger or a lion or panther. Could such thing be possible? Just crack open the skull and zap at the area that controls aggressive behavior or fighing instincts. And probably you could remove the adrenal gland to tame it even more.

Answer 1

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/lobotomy...

Answer 2

In the mid 60's a professor at Yale, Jose Delgado, conducted many experiments concerning the role of the amygdala and other brain regions in aggression and other emotional states. His pioneering work has led to a greater understanding of the interaction between neuroanatomy and behavior. One can remove the amygdala of an untamed animal and it will become completely docile, though rather stupid (it's called the Kluver-Bucy syndrome). In the 60's researchers even considered that one might be able to calm aggressive tendencies in humans through the use of psychosurgery. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and such surgery is banned in most developed countries (you can't remove an area of the brain without having an impact on a variety of behaviors, not just aggression). Wikipedia gives a relatively accurate account of Delgado, and I've included the Youtube link to an actual experiment conducted by Delgado.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_M...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be9YlbafK...

Answer 3

It may be possible in the future but in almost every case of mankind trying to control nature the results have been disastrous.

Humans being the dominant large animal species has had a devastating affect on the planet. Fortunately for the Earth our reign is likely to be a short one.

Answer 4

Maybe you could do brain surgery to eliminate aggression, but removing adrenal glands would devastate the health of the animal.