Young Pipp was seemingly alone in the world until Kate came along. Pipp was a fawn - now a deer and Kate is a dog - a Great Dane. And while many wildlife experts are critical of encouraging wildlife into a domestic realm, new research suggests some from the wild side are finding a little domestic bliss all on their own.

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Three of The Current

Domesticating Wild Animals - Isobel Springett

We started this segment with an excerpt from the new book, Kate and Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story, read by the author, Martin Springett. It's the real story of Kate, the Great Dane and Pippin, an abandoned fawn. Their unusual bond -- maybe it's love, who knows -- was nurtured by Martin Springett's sister, Isobel Springett, a professional photographer and the owner of Kate. To tell us how this story came to be, we reached Isobel Springett at her home in Courtenay, B.C.

Domesticating Wild Animals - Toronto Wildlife Centre

Kate and Pippin's story makes many people feel warm and fuzzy. And it's remarkable in many ways-- including the happy ending. Because many stories of wild animals adopted by humans do not end well. Nathalie Karvonen is the founder and executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre. She was in our Toronto studio.

Domesticating Wild Animals - Animal Behaviour

You may have noticed a light coloured patch of fur on the foreheads of some animals. It's called the star mutation and typically appears on dogs and horses and cows. Usually, on very nice dogs and horses and cows. Domesticated animals often wear the forehead star. And there are reports that the star mutation is showing up on adult deer.

Our next guest says that while it's far from clear that deer are domesticating themselves, some animals sure seem to be. Victoria Wobber is a PhD candidate at Harvard University and co-author of a review published last month in the journal Animal Behaviour. It's about a kind of primate that's showing signs of "becoming nicer". Victoria Wobber joined us from Boston, Massachusetts.

This segment was produced The Current's Pacinthe Mattar.

Related Links:

• A dog and the deer who's dear to her become Internet sensations By: Brennan Clarke - Globe and Mail
• Kate and Pippin, the true story of an animal friendship that has captured the world's imagination - Pearson Canada
• Domestication Threatens Key Deer By: Robin Meadows - Conservation Magazine
• Why Some Wild Animals Are Becoming Nicer By: Brandon Keim - Wired

Last Word - Steve Patterson on Leap Year

This is one of those rare days when the calendar for February gets fatter and we all tack an extra day on our lives. Steve Patterson is grateful for the extra 24 hours. But the host of CBC Radio One's, The Debaters, regrets he's getting so much older than people actually born on this day. He's gets the Last word today.

Other segments from today's show:

• Robo-Calling: Is this a scandal that will stick?
• The Hand of Fate (Documentary)