Play is often seen as a frivolous activity, especially in the animal kingdom. However, beneath the surface of frolicking and chasing, there’s a complex social code at play, particularly when it comes to fairness. Just like human children on a playground, animals, even “wild things” like coyotes, adhere to unwritten rules to ensure play remains enjoyable and beneficial for everyone involved. This concept of fair play amongst animals reveals surprising insights into their cognitive abilities and social dynamics.
Dr. Marc Bekoff, an ecologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, has extensively studied animal play, focusing particularly on canines like coyotes. His research highlights that fairness is not just a human construct, but a crucial element in animal social interactions. In the wild world of coyotes, play isn’t a free-for-all; it’s governed by unspoken agreements and mutual respect.
For example, during play fighting, a dominant coyote will allow a subordinate one to tackle them back. This reciprocity is essential. If a coyote becomes too aggressive or doesn’t reciprocate playful actions, they quickly become ostracized. Dr. Bekoff explains, “If you’re labeled in a coyote pack as an unfair player, you’re a cheater. Other animals either avoid you, or they don’t respond.”
This social consequence has significant implications. Young coyotes who are perceived as unfair players often find themselves isolated from the group. It’s not necessarily that they are driven out, but rather they drift away because other coyotes simply refuse to engage with them. This isolation, in turn, can lead to higher mortality rates, emphasizing the importance of social inclusion and cooperation, even in play.
Dr. Bekoff refers to these unspoken rules as the “Golden Rules of Fairness.” The core principle is simple: play is only fun if everyone is enjoying it. This might seem like a straightforward concept for humans, but consider the cognitive abilities required for animals to grasp and implement these rules. It necessitates a degree of consciousness, an understanding of another animal’s desires, and the ability to recognize how one’s own actions affect others.
This understanding points towards empathy, a trait often considered uniquely human. Interestingly, empathy and the ability to play fairly develop in human children over time. We begin with simple games like peekaboo and progress to more complex games that require understanding another person’s perspective. Experts have observed that individuals with sociopathic tendencies, who characteristically lack empathy, often display difficulties in play during childhood, further highlighting the link between empathy and fair play.
Dr. Bekoff’s detailed analysis of countless canine play videos, frame by frame, reveals the intricate dance of reciprocity that underpins fair play. He observes these same principles at work in domestic dog parks and even on children’s playgrounds, albeit with less at stake in the wilder settings. After all, a bully, in essence, is nothing more than an unfair player, disrupting the balance and enjoyment of the game for others. The concept of fair play, therefore, is not just a human construct, but a fundamental aspect of social interaction, observed even in the wild Where The Wild Things Play.
