Love for Beasts
A King’s Compassion
There was a king who loved animals very much. He did not allow anyone to punish any animal, not even the violent beasts.
The Encounter
One day, while the king was galloping along the streets of his city, he found a man beating a tiger with a club. The king became very angry. He shouted at the man, “Stop torturing that dumb creature, you brute!”
The Man’s Defense
“My lord! This is a pet of mine. It never did anything without my knowledge until today. But today it killed one of my goats and devoured it while hiding from my eyes. It deserves this punishment,” explained the man.
“But it is against my order to beat a dumb creature!” said the king and sent the man to prison.
A Plea for the Pet
While being led to prison, the man appealed to the king, “Kindly take due care of my pet!”
The king had several tigers in his own zoo. He sent the prisoner’s pet to the zoo and instructed the attendants to treat it as carefully as they treated the other tigers.
The King’s Concern
A few days later, the king visited his zoo. Looking into the tiger’s cage, he found one of them extremely emaciated and pale. “Why is the condition of this one so bad? Is it sick? Is it not getting proper attention?” enquired the king of the attendants.
“This is a new entrant to our zoo. Since its arrival here, it has hardly touched any food. But it is not sick,” informed the attendants.
A Realization
“Where did it come from?” queried the king.
“Its master has been sent to prison by your order, my lord,” replied the keeper of the zoo.
The king remembered the case and immediately summoned the prisoner to his presence.
A Request to See
“What special food were you giving to your pet? Why does it not touch the meat served to it?” asked the king. “ My lord, I was giving nothing special to my pet,” replied the prisoner. “Then I don’t understand why it is not eating anything in our zoo,” said the king pensively.
A Touching Reunion
The prisoner looked sad. “Can I see my pet once?” he asked imploringly.
The prisoner was led to the cage. As soon as his pet saw him, it brightened and, coming near him, began to lick his hands and feet. The prisoner shed tears looking at the condition of the tiger.
The attendants brought some meat, which the prisoner himself served to his pet. The pet ate it with great relish.
The Lesson Learned
Witnessing the scene, the king now realized his mistake. He understood that even though the man had beaten his pet, he had done so with the intention of keeping the beast under control. There was no violence in his actions; the pet did not remember the beating—it only remembered its master’s love.
It was a lesson for the king. He embraced the man and appointed him the chief officer of the zoo.