151 Jungle Tales

Long ago, a stripeless tiger saw a woodcutter, sleeping near his bullock cart. The tiger crept quietly and whispered to the bullock, “Your master is not strong, yet he makes you work for him. So how does he do it?” The bullock answered, “Why don’t you ask him?” The tiger sprang over to the woodcutter […]

Once, a peafowl realised that one of his tail feathers was missing. So he called the best detectives in the forest, the fox and the monkey. The fox was cleverer and wiser than the monkey. He followed the clues to find the missing tail feather. It led him to the deepest of forests where he

A swallow couple was moving their nest along with their hatchlings, one day. They had told their children to stay together and not to stray. But the youngest hatchling, Mae, was very adventurous. She had just learnt to fly and got distracted easily. Mae looked all around her while flying. She always stayed behind to

Once, there lived a strong lion in a thick jungle. One day, he was feeling very hungry. He came out of his den and started looking for prey. After searching for a long time, the lion saw a small hare. He caught the hare, thinking, ‘This hare cannot satisfy my hunger but something is better

One day, a jackal was hunting among some rocks near a lake. He noticed that a heron was busy looking for frogs in the lake. After a while, the heron came near the bank of the lake. “What a long neck you have,” flattered the jackal, “What happens when the wind blows? Doesn’t it break

Long ago, the crocodile had a smooth golden skin. He would spend all day in the muddy waters and only come out at night. All the other animals would come and admire his beautiful golden skin. Gradually, the crocodile became very proud of his skin and started coming out of the water to bask in

A doe went out and brought water and grass for her fawns, every day. Every time she left the house, she warned that when she came back, she would say, “Open the door, my children; I brought you grass on the horn and water in the mouth.” One day, a wolf hid and watched how

A hungry jackal saw a fat quail in the forest while hunting. He came up with a plan and said to the quail, “My old father used to say that a quail usually sings better than other quails if she closes her eyes.” The quail believed the jackal and closed her eyes and sang a

A little frog never listened to what his mother told him. His mother had grown very old but she was still worried about her son’s future. One day, she became very ill. She said, “Son, I shall not live much longer. When I die, do not bury me on the mountain. I want to be

One day, a hungry jackal saw a little girl sitting up in a tree. “Come down, my child and I will carry you home on my back,” said the jackal. “I am a Sun child. I don’t ride on a jackal’s back,” said the girl. However, the jackal coaxed in such a sweet manner that

A lark had built her nest on a large tree. One day, an elephant shook the branches of that tree, making the lark’s eggs fall and break. The poor lark went to a wasp and requested, “Will you please help me teach the elephant a lesson?” The wasp agreed. He gathered a swarm of wasps

Once, a stag was drinking water at a forest pool. He saw himself in the clear water. ‘How handsome I am!’ he thought, ‘My antlers branch from my head like young trees; my coat is smooth and glossy; my eyes sparkle like stars. I only wish that my legs were sharper. They are so long

Once, a hungry tortoise found out that some birds were preparing for a great feast up the high wall outside the forest. So, he gathered feathers and stuck them to his body. The birds did not recognise him and asked, “You have the most unique feathers. Who are you?” The sly tortoise replied, “My name

One day, a woodcutter’s son threw a stone at a snake. The upset snake bit the boy and he fainted. Even after the cure, the boy was in great pain. When the woodcutter saw this, he was angry and wanted to take revenge. So, the woodcutter took his axe and hit the snake. However, instead

An owl flew to an oak tree at the end of the forest to pick up his food, every night. The other owls asked him, “How do you get your food so easily?” The owl said, “One night, I saw a half chopped bark of an oak tree. It was full of insects and mice.