Page 90 - 2003 DT 12 Issues

Let’s Play! Nagano, Japan, young macaques often with our closest relatives, the apes. After
make snowballs and carry them around investigating the puffing, laughing sounds
t seemed that the Eskimo dog teth- as play objects; bathing in snow on a made by apes when being tickled or when
ered near the shore of Hudson Bay Welsh hillside, a raven rolled onto its wrestling, he concluded that laughter is
Inear Churchill, Manitoba was about back and slid downhill for about ten feet, associated with a playful attitude. Chim-
to be a goner. A polar bear had wandered then stood up, walked back to the top and panzees laugh when being tickled in their
into the camp of trapper Brian Landoon repeated the trick several times. In most sensitive spots, much like humans.
where the dog and 40 others were staked. Alaska, a storm sent wind screaming up Apes laugh with a raspy puffing sound
It was mid-November 1992. The bear was the sheer face of a tall cliff where two when being tickled or experiencing plea-
hungry. Ice had not yet formed on the bay, ravens were observed repeatedly and sure or contentment. However, that may
preventing the bear from hunting its fa- deliberately flying into the updraft and not be the end of the story . . . .
vorite prey, seals. As the bear closed in, getting blasted end over end; Alaskan King, the playful gorilla at Monkey
the dog grinned, wagged his tail, and grizzly bears play with ravens that hop Jungle, loves to best his psychologist
bowed to the bear. The bear responded up to a sitting bear. The bear chases the friend, Dr. Bennett Schwartz, in a fre-
to the dog’s invitation with enthusiastic, raven, the raven circles back and the quent tug-of-war. He often flaunts his
non-aggressive body language and facial game is repeated, on and on. superior strength by using only two fin-
signals, and within a few minutes, the two Marc Bekoff, professor of biology at gers on the rope to win the game. Other
were wrestling and cavorting. Eventually, the University of Colorado, specializes times, he will wait for the perfect moment
bear and dog em- in the study of animal to release the rope. If you listen carefully,
you can hear King’s laugh-like pleasure
braced gently and the behavior, cognitive grunt as he sends Dr. Schwartz flying
bear laid down for a ethology (the study of backwards into the air.
much-needed time- animal minds), and be-
out. Every evening havioral ecology. He A Rockin’ Red Rock Day!
for more than a writes, “the term ‘play’
week, the bear re- covers a wide range of his year’s October 25 event drew
th
turned to play with behavior patterns . . . It over 430 volunteers for a full day
one of the dogs. seems either to be func- Tof work projects led by team lead-
When the ice finally tionless or it can be ers from BLM, RRCIA, and Friends.
formed, he left for his winter habitat. considered as serving different functions Scott Bahan, Brian Buttazoni, Melissa
This event was photographed and for individuals of different species, ages, Campbell, Clara Hatz, Janis Kadlec, Rich
was eventually included in a story on and sex, and is not easily defined.” Livreri, Wyatt Mulvey, Susan Potts, Gary
animals at play for National Geographic These considerations led Bekoff to es- Schiesser, Athena Sparks, Willie
magazine by psychiatrist Stuart L. Brown chew a functional characterization of Stephenitch, and Vicki Sudduth provided
who has studied play in both humans and play, defining it as something that “ap- the team leadership. Norm Kresge, Rita
animals. pears to be purposeless . . . but if Perks, and Laura White handled registra-
Regarding the definition of play, directed toward another living being it is tion, work assignments, food shopping,
naturalist E.O. Wilson has written, “No called social play.” cooking, and serving.
behavioral concept has proved more ill- Play is most often associated with Projects included: Sandstone
defined, elusive, controversial, and even Quarry/Fencing; Willow Springs/clean-
mammal and bird species but has been
unfashionable.” After many hours of ob- ing picnic table pads, parking lot
recently observed in octopus and giant
serving animals, Dr. Brown concluded, patching, trail refurbishing, and trash
squid as well. Whether animal play is
“Play is a spontaneous behavior that has pick-up; Scenic Drive/pruning; Picnic
purely for fun, as it is in humans, or
no clear-cut goal and does not conform Areas/painting BBQ’s, trash cans, bath-
merely a means to hone social or quali-
to a stereotypical pattern. To me the pur- rooms, and doors; trash pick-up; Brown-
tative skills, there is no doubt that our
pose of play is simply play itself; it ap- stone Canyon/removal of fire rings,
pears to be pleasurable.” primate cousins have raised play to gig- eradication of unauthorized roads, mov-
However controversial, there is no gling heights. Charles Darwin recognized ing rock barriers to block vehicle access;
dearth of documentation on the sheer joy that laughter is an inborn characteristic trash pick-up and haul-out; Visitor Cen-
of animals at play the world over. In and a universal expression that we share ter/painting and plant water line instal-

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