One day, a traveler passed by a cage where a tiger was trapped.

“Please free me!” the tiger begged. “I will not harm you.”

The kind traveler opened the cage. But once free, the tiger said, “Now I’m hungry — and you’ll be my meal.”

The man cried, “That’s unfair! Let’s ask someone if what you’re doing is right.”

They asked a tree and a buffalo — both said, “Yes, humans are cruel; the tiger may eat him.”

Finally, they met a clever jackal.

The jackal said, “I don’t understand. Show me how the man opened the cage.”

When the tiger went back inside to demonstrate, the jackal quickly shut the door and locked it.

The traveler bowed and said, “Thank you, wise friend!”