Predators never completely renounce their nature. Even dogs, domesticated more than 30,000 years ago , still retain their hunting instincts. In fact, this impulse inherent to all carnivores is latent in many of the current canine breeds.
When dogs gnaw on rags and toys or run after a car, we are contemplating their predatory heritage.
As the famous trainer César Millán writes on his website: “Playing and hunting are different mental states.
We must find a way for the hunting instinct to translate more into playing and less into hunting ”.
This phenomenon is especially noticeable in zoos , where keepers often have to entertain felines so that the inability to kill other animals does not end up psychologically affecting them . To do this, they use various strategies, such as showing and shaking carcasses of small herbivores or pieces of meat from afar: in this way, the beasts will launch themselves proudly. They also appease themselves by attacking large rubber balls or even cardboard figures that look like prey.
