The Lion, the Camel, the Jackal and the Crow

The Lion and the Hyena - A Short Story for Kids

The Lion, the Camel, the Jackal and the Crow

Once upon a time, deep inside a large green jungle, there lived a powerful lion named Raja. Raja was the king of the jungle. All the animals respected him and were afraid of him too. He ruled the jungle with the help of his servants—a clever jackal, a sharp-eyed crow, a fast leopard, and many other animals.

Every day, Raja and his servants walked through the jungle to see that everything was peaceful. One sunny morning, while walking near a wide grassland, Raja saw a strange animal from far away. It was tall, had long legs, and a big hump on its back. The animal was eating fresh green grass calmly.

Raja stopped and said, “I have never seen this animal before. Let us go and ask where it comes from.”

The crow flew closer, looked carefully, and said, “Master, this animal is called a camel. It lives in villages and deserts, not in jungles. It must have lost its way.”

The jackal licked his lips and whispered, “Master, camels have a lot of meat. Let us kill it and eat it.”

But Raja shook his head and said firmly, “No. This animal does not belong to our jungle. He is a guest here. We must not harm a guest. Go and bring him to me. Tell him he is safe.”

The leopard and the crow went to the camel and spoke kindly. “Do not be afraid,” said the crow. “Our king wants to meet you. No one will hurt you.”

The camel trusted them and followed them to Raja. When the camel stood before the lion, he bowed respectfully and said, “Oh King of the Jungle, I am a camel from a village. I was part of a caravan, but I got lost and came here by mistake.”

Raja felt sorry for him and said, “If you go back to the village, humans will make you carry heavy loads again. Stay here in my jungle. You can eat green grass freely, and no one will harm you.”

The camel felt very happy. “Thank you, my lord,” he said. From that day on, the lion and the camel lived peacefully in the jungle.

One day, a big elephant entered the jungle and became very angry. Raja went to stop him. A fierce fight broke out. Although Raja won, he got badly hurt. His legs were injured, and he could not walk or hunt anymore.

Days passed. Raja became weak and thin because he had no food. His servants were also hungry because they depended on Raja for food.

Finally, Raja called the jackal, crow, and leopard and said, “I am very weak. Please find an animal that I can hunt even in this condition. Otherwise, we will all starve.”

The animals searched the whole jungle but found nothing. They came back tired and sad.

On the way back, the jackal whispered to the crow, “Why are we searching everywhere when food is living with us?”

The crow understood at once. “You mean the camel,” he said softly. “But Raja promised him safety.”

The jackal smiled cleverly and said, “Leave that to me. I know how to change the king’s mind.”

The jackal went to Raja and bowed low. “Master,” he said sadly, “we searched the whole jungle but found no food. We are all very weak. If you allow us to eat the camel, his body can feed all of us for many days.”

Raja became angry. “How dare you say that?” he roared. “I promised the camel safety. A king must keep his word.”

The jackal acted innocent and said, “You are right, master. Killing him forcefully would be wrong. But what if someone offers himself willingly? Would that be a sin?”

Raja thought for a moment but said nothing.

The jackal continued, “What are servants for, if not to help their king? One of us should offer his life so that you may live.”

Raja was silent and weak. He did not argue anymore.

The jackal returned to the others and said, “Our king is dying. We could not find food. The only way is to offer ourselves to him.”

One by one, they went to Raja.

The crow said, “Master, please eat me.”

The jackal quickly said, “He is too small, master. His body will not help you.”

Then the jackal stepped forward and said, “Please eat me, master. I will go to heaven.”

Raja shook his head again and again. He did not want to eat any of them.

The camel was watching all this quietly. He thought, They are all offering themselves. I should also do the same to show my loyalty.

The camel stepped forward and said, “Master, you cannot eat these animals because they are meat-eaters like you. Please eat me instead. I offer my life happily.”

The jackal and the others smiled secretly. This was what they wanted.

Raja, weak and confused, finally agreed. In a moment, the animals jumped on the camel. The poor camel was killed and eaten.

THE END

Moral of the Story

The jungle became silent again. But the lesson remained forever.

Moral:
Always be careful of clever and evil people. Do not trust sweet words blindly. Even good people can be trapped by bad advice.

This is why wise people say:
“When you live among wicked minds, stay alert, or you may lose everything.”


Questions and Answers for Kids

1. What was the name of the lion in the story?

Answer: The name of the lion was Raja.

2. Who helped the lion rule the jungle?

Answer: The lion was helped by a jackal, a crow, a leopard, and other animals.

3. Which new animal came into the jungle?

Answer: A camel came into the jungle.

4. Where did the camel come from?

Answer: The camel came from a village and got lost in the jungle.

5. Why did Raja allow the camel to stay in the jungle?

Answer: Raja felt sorry for the camel and promised to protect him as a guest.

6. What happened to the lion later in the story?

Answer: The lion got badly injured while fighting an elephant.

7. Why were the animals worried after the lion was hurt?

Answer: They were worried because the lion could not hunt, and everyone was starving.

8. Which animal made an evil plan?

Answer: The jackal made the evil plan.

9. What did the jackal want the lion to do?

Answer: The jackal wanted the lion to eat the camel.

10. Why did the lion refuse at first?

Answer: The lion refused because he had promised safety to the camel.

11. Why did the camel offer himself to the lion?

Answer: The camel wanted to show loyalty and believed the others were honest.

12. What mistake did the camel make?

Answer: The camel trusted the clever animals and did not understand their evil plan.

13. What happened to the camel in the end?

Answer: The camel was killed and eaten by the animals.

14. Was the jackal a good friend? Why or why not?

Answer: No, the jackal was selfish and clever. He only cared about food, not friendship.

15. What lesson does the story teach us?

Answer: The story teaches us to be careful of bad people and not trust sweet words.

Moral & Thinking Questions

16. Should we trust everyone who speaks kindly?

Answer: No, we should think carefully before trusting others.

17. What should the camel have done?

Answer: The camel should have thought carefully and asked more questions.

18. Was the lion right to promise safety?

Answer: Yes, promising safety was right, but he should have protected the camel better.

19. What kind of animal was the jackal?

Answer: The jackal was clever, selfish, and dishonest.

20. What would you do if you were the camel?

Answer (Sample): I would stay alert, think carefully, and not trust everyone easily.

Short Moral Question

21. What is the moral of the story in one line?

Answer: Never trust clever and evil people blindly.









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