Animal-People Are Just Like Us: Part 6 of a Multi-part Series (Playful Animal-People)

Playing isn’t just for fun. It’s also a way to learn new skills. To play with a cat friend, this little turtle-person learns to skateboard. Louie is a very clever border collie, who dug this decent-sized trench, just to play fetch by himself! Louie balances the stick on the trench walls, puts his nose right under it (the stick), and then catapults it into the air. Did you know penguin-people have a favorite game – tobogganing? They slide on their bellies and glide joyfully across the ice. This activity is so popular among penguins, that like in theme parks the queue for the best jumping spots can be quite long. Playing helps us to strengthen our friendships and even form new ones.

“It was pretty cool. You have these two completely different animals interacting and not even just kind of slightly interacting, clearly enjoying each other’s company, and clearly intrigued by the other one. And the fact that they’re both circling around each other, and Jojo will splash him with his fin sometimes, they’re clearly not just around each other. They’re clearly interacting with each other and know each other’s presence.” “Darling would come every morning hanging out with our animals. She was a wild crow. And then when we were walking Sam, Darling would just go on Sam’s back, and it would be like she was on horseback, and she was leading the way. So, she would hide her food in Sam’s fur.” When a beaver-individual and an otter-person become buddies, they team up to build a den together, and then it’s time for loads of fun and giggles! Playing with friends is a super fun way to practice teamwork! Life is so much happier with our amazing animal buddies around, making every moment more joyful.