>> Of course, thus means they'd need to run their experiments quickly, during the early days of a societal collapse. Not an ideal scenario.<<
It depends on the area. In some places, animals can survive sort of okay for a while. In others, not so much. If they're outside, they have a much better chance; if inside, they'll die if not cared for or released. Food and water are short-term limitations, but the big long-term one is that commercial breeds don't reproduce well on their own. Also the purpose matters: beef cows are much more self-sufficient than dairy cows. So a lot of people looked at all those cows, pigs, chickens, etc. and decided to eat them while they lasted. Sparing some cows for experimentation would be feasible for at least the first few years, but the numbers would drop off sharply from the End onward. After 5 years or so, most of the commercial breeds would be scarce or gone.
>> So they become guilt-free gatorskin and snakeskin leather. And fried-meat-onna-stick. <<
Yep. Delicious, tastes a lot like frog.
>>And I'm sure gator teeth are good for something...bragging rights? <<
Decorations, or tools.
>> A handful of heritage breeds may be useful. To be fair, they may top out at something under a hundred pounds. (It looks like Huskies are about 75 pounds.) <<
Many heritage breeds are useful in the Aftermath. Most of the surviving dogs are medium size, although small terriers make great vermin hunters.
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dancing_serpent
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2021-05-26 05:19 am (UTC)It depends on the area. In some places, animals can survive sort of okay for a while. In others, not so much. If they're outside, they have a much better chance; if inside, they'll die if not cared for or released. Food and water are short-term limitations, but the big long-term one is that commercial breeds don't reproduce well on their own. Also the purpose matters: beef cows are much more self-sufficient than dairy cows. So a lot of people looked at all those cows, pigs, chickens, etc. and decided to eat them while they lasted. Sparing some cows for experimentation would be feasible for at least the first few years, but the numbers would drop off sharply from the End onward. After 5 years or so, most of the commercial breeds would be scarce or gone.
>> So they become guilt-free gatorskin and snakeskin leather. And fried-meat-onna-stick. <<
Yep. Delicious, tastes a lot like frog.
>>And I'm sure gator teeth are good for something...bragging rights? <<
Decorations, or tools.
>> A handful of heritage breeds may be useful. To be fair, they may top out at something under a hundred pounds. (It looks like Huskies are about 75 pounds.) <<
Many heritage breeds are useful in the Aftermath. Most of the surviving dogs are medium size, although small terriers make great vermin hunters.
See my notes on Animals in the Aftermath.