Before dog, fox was man’s best friend

It seems men first domesticated foxes before dogs became their best friend, PTI reports quoting scientists. Their relationship was so strong that the animals were even buried in the graves along with their masters, according to a study of a prehistoric cemetery found in West Asia. The discovery, the researchers said, could shed light on the nature and timing of relationships between people and beasts before animals were domesticated. It also hints that key aspects of ancient practices surrounding death might have originated earlier than thought before, said the researchers who found remains of foxes along with humans in the 16,500-year-old burial ground. Researcher Lisa Maher, a prehistoric archaeologist at the University of Cambridge, said it seems the fox was treated in a special way from any other animals at that time. “We think that this represents a significant social relationship, something that clearly goes far beyond the domestication of animals as livestock,”Maher told LiveScience.
Source:"Newspaper(deccan herald) "