If you domesticated a field mouse and decided it would be cute to dock its tail and ears and then released it, should the tail and ears grow back? Or if you tamed a wild ass and it then lost the use of an eye or a limb, but was later released into the wild, would you expect the eye to function again or the limb to grow again just because it was in the wild again?
Sorry for the really gross analogies, but to me the question is really why would you expect the animal to regain what little was lost with taming?
In return for you agreeing to care for the animal, it gave up a small amount of its superior qualities. To an extent, by both parties keeping up their end of the taming agreement, most of those superior qualities are regained and other skills that were not as developed are also perfected in a more focused manner.
If either party reneges on the agreement, why should things return to the way they were? Both parties must pay a penalty for the taming agreement being broken.
Well, perhaps it is because I see at the issue as "black" or "white".
That is, I see an animal/monster as either tamed OR wild.
The tamed ones have their numbers reduced, the wild ones are the 100% full powered ones.
What I have a hard time understanding is the 3rd class, the "released, wild ones".
I mean, if they keep their stats/skills reduced, they are neither tamed (because they have been released) but they are neither fully wild as compared to an untamed wild version.
I just thought that if the animal/monsters was to be released making it wild again, then it should regain its full "wilderness", not just be as weak as a tamed but wild at the same time.
Unless, there are reasons for maintaining released "wild" pets at reduced skill/stats as compared to their untamed wild versions.