When man engaged in hunting and gathering forest produce, he realised that these activities are insufficient for his livelihood and then he adopted animal husbandry as another occupation. People inhabiting various natural surroundings, selected animals found in those regions and domesticated them. The purpose of herding animals was to get food in form of milk and meat, leather, wool, etc. 

The main regions of animal husbandry are:

1. Tropical Grassland: These are located near the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. Most of the tropical grasslands are found in between 5° to 30° latitudes. Here average rainfall is 100 cm. Savannas, lanos, compass and Parkland are the major ones among these.

2. Temperate Grasslands: Temperate grasslands are located between 30° to 45° latitudes in the western parts of the continents. Average rainfall is 50 cm here. These grasslands are known as Steppes in Russia, Pampas in USA, and Downs in Australia. 

3. Desert (Arid) Region: Thar Desert, Kalahari, Arabian Desert.

 4. Mountainous Regions: All mountainous areas of the world.

Depending on geographical factors and technological development, animal rearing today is practiced either at the primitive subsistence level or at the commercical level.

1. Nomadic Pastoralism: Nomadic Pastoralism is a primitive subsistence activity, in which the herders rely on animals for food, clothing, shelter, and transport. They move from one place to another place along with their livestock, depending on the amount and quality of pastures. Each Nomadic community occupies a well identified territory as a matter of tradition. A wide variety of animals is kept in different regions.

In tropical Africa, cattle are the most important livestock, while in Sahara and Asiatic deserts, sheep, goats and camel are reared. In mountainous areas, Yak and Lamas, in Arctic and sub-Arctic areas, reindeer are the most important animals. 

Three major areas of Nomadic pastoralists are :

1. Atlantic coast of North America to Arabian peninsula through Mangolia to Central China. 

2. Tundra region of Europe and Asia. 

3. South – Western Africa and Madagascar Island.

2. Commercial Animal Grazing: Commercial animal grazing is essentially associated with western cultures and is practised on permanent animal farms. These farms cover large areas and are divided into a number of parts which are fenced to regulate grazing. The number of animals are kept in a pasture according to its capacity. This is a specialised activity in which only one type of animal is reared.

The animals are reared for meat, wool, milk and skin which are processed and packed scientifically and exported to different markets of the world. New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and United States of America are important commercial animal – rearing countries.