A long, long time ago, all the animals stayed on land as one large family; the birds didn’t fly but lived on the ground; and so did the fish. The animal population was increasing and the jungle was getting crowded.
The animals were bumping into each other and small animals were getting trampled by the larger ones. Elephants squashed the wings of birds and squirrels looked misshapen with being stepped on so often. When the hippos moved around the jungle, ants and worms scurried out of the way. Grasshoppers and spiders had been flattened by the larger creatures.
Fish crawled on the ground, sliding away when they heard the thundering hooves of the horses. Birds hopped behind trees to avoid the leaping leopards. Fights broke out about who had the right to more space. Smaller creatures emerged badly bruised from these encounters.
Levo, the king of the jungle, the magnificent-maned lion was tired of all the complaints.
Inspiration strikes
One day, a troubled Levo was at the waterhole. So were many other animals. He saw some fish crawl to the edge of the water and dive in. They swam around happily. Birds flew over the waterhole, diving down at different points to dip their beaks in the water.
After quenching their thirst they flew towards the trees, perched on the branches and shook the water out of their tiny wings. Worms scurried into the wet ground. Monkeys hung by their tails from tree branches, swinging merrily and jumping from one branch to another.
Levo watched his subjects with interest, studying their differences.
An idea flashed in his mind. It was triggered by something that his advisor Victor, the leopard, happened to mention in passing. “Your majesty, humans stay in something called houses. Each family lives in a separate place,” he said. Victor had seen these huts when he had strayed close to a village at the edge of the jungle.
The frowning lion’s face broke into a delighted smile. With this idea he would be able to solve the space problem once and for all.
The next day, Levo called for a meeting of all the animals. It was an overcrowded affair. Levo stared at his subjects. They looked at him solemnly.
“I have an idea that will put an end to the space problem,” he announced. “It will require a kind of separation, but it will be for your good.
The aim is to give you the dignity to move around freely, without injuring or harming one another.”
“Separation?” frowned Chip, the tiger.
“I don’t want to be away from my family,” Victor shook his head.
“Do we have to leave the jungle?” asked a worried Garry, the giraffe.
Home new home
“No.” Levo’s voice was loud, his meaning clear. “I’ve watched the fish. You have fins that help you to swim. With your gills you can survive in water,” he said.
They looked at each other delightedly; water was their favourite place.
“When you want to visit your friends, you can come on shore,” he added.
Levo then turned to the birds. “You can fly with your wings.
Though they are small now, I am sure as you fly more, they will become bigger and stronger. From now on, the sky is your playground, and the trees shall be your home.”
The birds were thrilled!
“As for the worms,” Levo lowered his eyes to the worms. They quivered; the leaves they stood on trembled. What would their fate be?
“You have the ability to penetrate the ground. That will be your new residence,” the lion stared at the stunned worms.
“Henceforth, all insects,” he stared at the spiders, grasshoppers and other insects perched on the backs of rabbits “will live in the undergrowth. This will ensure your safety, which is my main concern.”
The insect population looked relieved. No more getting trampled on by larger creatures.
And so, he allocated different spaces to all creatures.
“As for the larger animals, you are capable of looking after yourselves,” he said.
After this separation, the jungle was no more a crowded place.
Soon, the wings of the birds developed as they used them to fly more. Insects scurried inside the undergrowth making their unique sounds to warn other creatures of their presence. The rabbits made their homes inside burrows, while the monkeys lived on trees. All the animals had a lot of room to move about freely and safely.
