Banjo and Sherpa are litter mates, brother and sister. Watching them as kittens at play, I could recognise many of the games we played as children; tig, wrestling, climbing, jumping, sliding, hide-and -seek. They challenged themselves to walk along narrow ledges at a height, and once we saw them bounding through long grass like a pair of springbok. They were much more adept at tree climbing than we were, and occasionally would stage dazzling displays of aerobatics for our benefit, basking in the applause they received.
Along with displays of skill we witnessed displays of emotion. Sherpa, more agile and more daring, had an air of superiority which infuriated Banjo and led him to thwart her in any way he could, and her to conceal her talents in his presence. We think such behaviour is unique to human schools and, when discovered, deserves to be reported.
More than once I heard an expert declare that only humans indulged in play as adults. This is not true. Although not as frisky as the young, adult dogs and cats still enjoy play.
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