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[Imp]

I found this rather amusing.  I've read about the animals elves bring often arriving dead, though I've never had that happen to me from elven trades, only occasionally with critters brought from my dwarven civilization.

On this map, every animal the elves bring me has arrived without outer injury, but with their insides the brown of moderately wounded.  Everything on the outside, even their eyes and ears are intact, but their hearts, brains, upper and lower spines, left and right lungs...


Oddly, none of these beasts grow tired nor faint from pain.  I have a single 1 room meeting area and every dwarf has animal care turned on, but even across the years and with regular idle time for almost every dwarf these damaged creatures are not healing, nor do any of the dwarves show any gaining of animal care.  Granted, all of these critters have been left strays.

My theory is this - these elves are legendary necromancers capturing and healing up zombie animals until they appear whole again, at least to a casual inspection (if only my dwarves could x-ray the beasts, alas).  Only one thing spoils this illusion for me, for these beasties are having healthy and normal babies (It would be great if these odd wounds were inherited, that would be proof indeed! )

[Karik]

Purge the Unclean, Burn the Heretic, the elves vile ways must come to an end!

[Airpi]

Man, this is one of those times when knowing too much takes all the magic (lit'rally) out of something. I know that it's happening because the Elves are bringing the animals through dangerously hot or cold environments, but I like your explanation so much more.

Hopefully in the future the combination of procedurally generated culture, magic, and improved undead will allow such a thing to be. (Imagine! Entire cities run by zombified beasts of burden and victims of conquest, while their evil elven overlords grow fat and lazy! It would be excellent!)

[Imp]

Why did their outsides heal and their insides not?  One in my newest batch has a wounded neck, but the rest of its parts that I'd expect to be able to see are perfect.  I understand nervous bits wont heal, but the heart, lungs, guts?  And why did the eyes heal or not get hurt?  Don't the eyes/ears get damaged about as easily as the inner bits, or even more?  I'd understand if the whole critter was frostbitten or scalded, and I'd understand if the beasts eventually healed... but they have healable-looking injuries that just sit there unchanging.  And if they can't heal... why did their outsides heal?

Suspicious looking injuries, these are... everything that's damaged is hurt to an identical level.  I'd better not fight these elves, p'raps... they've mastered the art of maiming!

[Airpi]

I have no idea about the not healing. Maybe it has something to do with them coming on site with the wounds rather than being wounded on site?

Or, maybe the elves feed their animals wood since they can get it off trees without harming them, rather than sacrificing other plants to feed them. They don't farm after all. I think your animals guts are all splintery.

[Aspgren]

"Dwarves with the Animal Caretaking labor enabled attempt to treat any injured pet assigned to them. This skill is used automatically.

This skill is bugged in the sense that some wounded animals with red wounds or organ damage may never recover, yet the dwarf with Animal Caretaking gains experience points. As a result a dwarf could become a legendary Caretaker without any real effort. "

http://dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Animal_caretaker


While the organ damage might not disappear at all, this effectively means your purchased exotic pets won't heal until they find someone to love. Isn't that sad?

[psychologicalshock]

Crap I threw a pawless-dog into the lava a season ago, I wasn't aware he could be useful.

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Torture the elves for their necromantic knowledge, and twist it to your dwarven will.

[Grendus]

1/7 magma should fry their feet. Then, onward to the drowning chamber or whippit. Don't stop til they tell you HOW!!!

[Blargityblarg]

The nervous parts (brain, neck, spine) aren't healing because they never heal. I'm not sure that hearts, et cetera are meant to heal, as their wounded-ness would normally mean death.

[Hyndis]

Animals do not heal like dwarves do. I'm not sure if they even heal at all. It seems like they don't recover from injuries.

If the animal is from a different climate than where your fortress is the animal can be harmed or even dead. Try to embark on a glacier. The only living animals you get will be things like polar bears. Your deer and lions will all be DOA.

Elves are awesome only because they can bring exotic animals, which you can then breed and use their bones to decorate your masterwork golden thrones.

The original animals will never recover, but if you get a male and female pair their offspring will be fully healthy. Just ignore the wounded animals. They will still breed, and just keep them around breeding until they die of old age. By then you should have a decent enough population that your butchers can get to work.

[roger123275]

Elves are awesome only because they can bring exotic animals, which you can then breed and use

Elves are awesome only because they can bring exotic animals

Elves are awesome

*X-rays insides for elfyspyness*

[Hyndis]

But how else will you decorate your masterwork steel plate and thrones with elf bone?

Elves are a useful resource. Their caravans contribute heavily to my bonecrafting industry.

[gumball135]

The elves have hidden mind control mechanisms (wooden ones) in the brains of the zombie animals.
At the flick of a switch, the animals will become mindless killing machines and every single dwarf in your fortress will be hunted down and eaten.
With a side dish of +plump helmet roast+.

Butcher the animals before it's too late!

[Rolan7]

Martin's Morul, the most interesting dwarf in the world, was able to heal animals with Animal Caretaking.  He even had to set up a system to wound dogs without killing (too many) of them, in order to get it legendary.

Such a great thread that is.