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Journalism of Courage
Believe it or not, even insects do it and evilly grinning crocs do it. And, of course, many, many other animals (including ourselves) do it, and, unless we’re hideous or appallingly damaged, we all love it (though may not admit as much). Playing, I mean.
It’s been found (I wonder how), that even wasps may play, that crocodiles give their playmates piggy-back rides and blow bubbles, dolphins may spend three-quarters of their time playing and chimpanzees — according to their mentor Jane Goodall — are the “champions of play”. Animals may play together, regardless of each other’s species; there’s a well-documented case of a fearsome polar bear fooling around with a husky instead of having it for dinner. Of course, the babies — regardless of species — are the true champs and show the way, but even adult animals play. Pick up a ball and your dog (and you too) will be delirious with delight in two tics.
The funny thing is that scientists say no one really knows why animals play. Why does the just-born little antelope bounce up and down madly on all four legs through and over the herd, while its mother looks on anxiously? Why do baby monkeys hang by one another’s tails and wrestle in the mud, giggling idiotically? Why do dolphins leap exuberantly out of the water and do triple body rolls in unison? Why does a tiger cub tirelessly pounce on its mother’s flicking tail?
Of course, there have been several theories: It’s training for life in the grim adult world. That madcap bouncing fawn is actually practising escape techniques from a predator. That little tiger cub fiercely ambushing its mother’s tail is learning how to pounce on prey, and is honing its reflexes. Your dog is doing much the same thing as it focusses manically on the ball in your hand, even though it is served its meals twice a day in a gleaming stainless steel bowl.
Wrestling baby bears or chimpanzees are gauging their strength against one another, which will decide who is boss later on. Baby rhinos head-butting each other are doing the same thing. Baby elephants roughhousing together are communicating with each other who is likely to be a pushover!
But scientists don’t entirely agree that play is directly going to help animals develop skills to get on in the grim adult world that lies ahead, though certainly, it has plenty of intangible advantages.
It improves motor skills and health, and that certainly has survival value. Animals (and humans) that play together get along better not only in their own society, but even in that of other species (you and your dog again). There have been some weird friendships between species reported in the animal world as a result of games they play together.
The other big survival value that play may have is that it makes animals (and you) use your imagination and be creative, which can be a life-saver in a sticky situation. Baby animals (and children) will invent games with whatever’s close at hand. They’ll endlessly toss a twig around, make mud pies, splash in puddles, intricately examine (and try to eat) plastic bags, manically chase dried leaves, play tug of war with a piece of rope, bat pebbles around with their paws.
And sometimes, the games we play are startlingly similar. I’ve watched children at a book-reading session, ignore the story and focus on building anthills with mud, slyly looking at each other to check whose was better. And I’ve watched baby monkeys do exactly the same thing — except that they were not being read a boring story at the time.
Children of all species have this uncanny ability to reluctantly consume energy worth, say, 500 calories per day and convert it into 10,000 calories of raw non-stop high voltage original action — most of which is play. And very often the “game” is invented as it is being played, rather like a musician or a singer improvising while playing or singing.
If animals play, it usually means they’re happy — if a baby animal does not play, it’s usually either depressed, ill or stressed out.
The beauty about playing is that you (as a dignified human being and on top of the pyramid of life as you would like to believe) don’t even have to play yourself in order to enjoy it. No one watching that crazy pogo-stick of a fawn, or baby elephants noodling their little trunks, or monkeys hanging by each others’ tails will be able to hold back a smile. It’s infectious. Even better if you should join in — well maybe not give a croc a piggyback ride (though some heroes are trying that too!), or play tag with a tigress’s tail, but just chucking a Frisbee about or whirling your child around and around.
There have been, believe it or not, attempts to define animal play, one of which is this: “Play [is] repeated pleasurable behaviour done for its own sake that’s similar but not identical to other behaviours which the animal regularly engages. It also must be seen when the animal is healthy and not under stress.” Whatever its ponderous definition might be, you can actually say what play is — for all living creatures, big or small, wild or tame, babies or adults — in just two words:it’s fun.
Ranjit Lal is an author, environmentalist and birdwatcher
