Eli5: Why can’t you make a pet out of a wolf, a bear or a lion?

Question

Eli5: Why can’t you make a pet out of a wolf, a bear or a lion?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You CAN. If you raise a baby wild animal and act like its mother, they will grow up recognizing your face, scent, and most likely develop an attachment to you as their parent. You most likely cannot pet animals that have lived in the wild, if we pick one at random, unless you are very familiar to them and they have learned to trust you.