The Ungrateful Tiger
A man was walking through the dense forest when he heard a pitiful roar. Investigating the sound, he found a massive tiger trapped at the bottom of a deep, muddy pit. The tiger looked up earnestly and pleaded, "Please, kind sir, help me out! I promise I will not harm you. I will be forever in your debt."
Moved by the tiger's terrible predicament, the man decided to trust the beast. He found a long, thick branch and lowered it into the pit, allowing the heavy tiger to climb out to safety.
However, no sooner was the tiger free than it pounced on the man, pinning him to the ground. "I am starving," the tiger growled, baring its teeth. "Promises mean nothing to an empty stomach."
Terrified but thinking quickly, the man argued, "This is unjust! Let us ask three judges if your action is fair." The tiger agreed. First, they asked a great Banyan tree. The tree sighed, "Men cut down my branches for firewood and burn my leaves. Life is harsh. Eat him."
Next, they asked an old ox grazing nearby. "Men worked me in the fields until I was old and weak, then they abandoned me here to die. Humans are cruel. Eat him."
The man lost hope. Just as the tiger prepared to strike, a small rabbit hopped by and decided to intervene.
"I cannot understand this complicated situation," the rabbit said, scratching its ear and pretending to be confused. "Show me exactly where you both were before this dispute began."
Arrogantly believing the man could not escape anyway, the tiger jumped back down into the pit. "I was down here!" he roared impatiently.
"And the man was up here?" asked the rabbit. "Excellent. Now, let us leave this ingrate right where you found him." The man thanked the clever rabbit for his cunning wisdom and walked away, leaving the ungrateful tiger to his fate.
Tiger attacks
Tree & Ox judge
Rabbit tricks Tiger
Man escapes