I have kept many pets over the years. Some, like my current canine companion, have been both adoring and adorable, but others have been less successful. I’m thinking of the hamster who scarfed down her babies, the cockerel who karate-kicked the kids and our current cat, who is so aloof that she says “meh” instead of “miaow”.

So it was with interest that I learned that urban raccoons in North America are showing signs of domestication. A study in Frontiers in Zoology suggests that the animals are evolving to be – as the mainstream media puts it – “cuter” and “more pet-like”. Jump ahead three thought bubbles and I’m picturing me, holding paws with my new pet, skipping through the daisies to the tune of Daydream Believer. But could this really be?

According to prevailing wisdom, humans have been domesticating wild things for at least 30,000 years. Dogs were first, followed by chickens, sheep, pigs and more. As food became easier to source, people put down roots. The hunter-gatherer way of life gave way to settlements, cities and complex societies. Clever old us, working it all out.

Only it didn’t quite happen that way. In its earliest stages, domestication isn’t about humans choosing to do anything. It’s more about animals........

© The Guardian