De-domestication

FREE Nature work with robust breeds of cattle and horses, intended to fulfill the ecological role of their extinct ancestors, the aurochs and wild horse. However, as substitutes, they are not yet completely equivalent. Even our most robust breeds have undergone centuries of domestication. Animals have been selected for traits favorable to humans. Social orders, age structures, and gender ratios within herds are adjusted according to human interests. This is what we call ‘domestication’.

FREE Nature's herds are now taking the opposite route: a process of de-domestication or ‘rewilding’. While there remains a duty of care for individual animals, the manager consciously selects for traits that promote independent living in nature. Negative traits such as susceptibility to diseases, large udders, or difficulties with calving without assistance are deselected. Often, nature itself indicates which animals are least suitable to live in the wild. Additionally, the animals regain the freedom to establish their own social structures or orders. Ideally, where feasible, this selection process is left to nature itself: natural selection following the principles of survival of the fittest.