There was once a village on the outskirts of a forest. A man-eating tiger wreaked havoc in the village. One day, the villagers called for a council.

“We need to do something about the tiger,” said one of the villagers. “I have lost a few sheep to it. Yesterday, when I was walking in the dark with my dog, the tiger almost killed me. I got saved, but unfortunately, the tiger hurt my dog.”

“True. I also lose my cattle regularly. I am afraid to even step out of my house in the dark to attend nature’s call fearing the tiger,” replied another villager.

“What do we do?” asked the leader of the village. “Unless we capture the tiger, we will have to move away from here.”

A wise elderly lady said, “You need to trap the tiger. Dig deep pits on the edge of the forest and cover it with hay. When the tiger enters the village, he will fall into one of the traps, and then we can capture him.”

The villagers all agreed with the plan and laid traps for the tiger. Eventually, the tiger fell into one of the pits. When they heard the roar of the tiger, the villagers went to check.

“Let us leave this tiger here and decide what to do with it,” said the village leader. They went back to their homes and their lives, forgetting all about the tiger.

Two days later, a young man on a journey was walking by the forest when he heard the growl from a pit. He peeped into the ditch and saw the tiger.

Noticing the man, the tiger said, “Help!!! Please help me. I fell into this ditch, and I am trapped.”

The young man was a kind and helpful person. He replied, “I will help you. But what is the guarantee that you will not eat me when I pull you out?”

The tiger answered, “You have my word. I will not be ungrateful and kill the person who helped me.”

Believing the tiger, the man took a long fallen branch and lowered it to the tiger. The tiger used the tree branch and got out of the ditch.

Unfortunately for the young man, the tiger was ravenous after not feeding for a couple of days. Forgetting his promise, the tiger pounced on the young man.

“Wh…wha…what are you doing?” asked the frightened young man. Didn’t you promise that you will not eat me if I help you?”

“I know I promised. But my hunger is more important than keeping the promise. Besides, I needed help in the first place because humans laid the trap for me,” said the tiger.

“But I did not trap you,” replied the young man. “Why don’t we ask the pine tree to judge if you are right or wrong. It is the least you can do for me after having saved your life.”

The tiger and the young man went to the pine tree. On hearing the whole story, the pine tree said,

“Humans are ungrateful beings. First, they use trees for shade and food. Then they cut us and use our branches to make fire or furniture. There is nothing wrong if you eat him, tiger.”

Happy with the judgement, the tiger was about to kill the man. The man stopped him again, saying, “The tree is angry with all humans. Hence, he is biased in his judgement. Let us ask a neutral party to judge.”

Just then, an ox was passing by. Calling the ox, the tiger and the young man narrated their story.

“Tell me, ox. Isn’t the tiger ungrateful?” asked the man.

“Humans make us work hard in their fields and carry their load. When we get old, they kill us for our meat. When humans are not grateful, why should we animals be? Go ahead and kill him, tiger,” replied the ox.

Knowing his end was near, the man begged the tiger. “Give me one last chance. Let us ask the rabbit to judge. If he also agrees, I will not protest any more.”

They went to a rabbit and narrated the story. The rabbit thought for a few minutes and said, “Take me to the spot where the pit was and describe what happened.”

The tiger and the man took the rabbit to the pit.

“So, were you both outside the pit?” asked the rabbit.

Impatiently, the tiger answered, “Of course not. Didn’t you hear what we said? I was inside the pit at first.”

“Oh! But the pit is so deep. I cannot imagine how you could have been so far at the bottom. Can you show me where exactly you were?” said the rabbit.

The tiger was frustrated and hungry. So the tiger jumped into the pit without thinking.

“Was this tree branch inside the pit?” asked the rabbit.

“No. I put it in to help the tiger come out,” said the man.

The rabbit took out the branch and gave it to the man.

From inside the pit, the tiger yelled, “So now that you know what our original positions were, can you quickly give your verdict so that I can have my meal?”

The rabbit replied, “My verdict is that you remain in the pit while this man can go on his journey.”

“Are you going to leave me here?” asked the tiger.

“Of course!” replied the rabbit. “This man helped you. You cannot punish this man for the mistakes of other human beings. Instead of thanking him, you were about to eat him. You were ungrateful. Therefore, it is only right that you stay in the pit.”

“Thank you, very much,” said the man gratefully.

The rabbit went off, and the man continued his journey leaving the tiger alone in the pit.