Once upon a time, in a deep jungle, there were four monkeys: Jill, the eldest; Bill, the youngest; and siblings Phil and Will. They lived as they pleased without a care.
One day, when all four of them were eating wild bananas, Jill came up with the idea to throw a party. He shared his idea with his pals as well as other monkeys in the forest. Everyone agreed to have a feast with a lot of food. The monkeys went through the jungle, sweeping it for fruits and leaves. Anything they could find, they grabbed them all. As they were digging the earth for roots, they encountered a porcupine.
“What are you guys doing?” the porcupine asked.
“We are going to have a party,” the bill said.
“What’s with all of the food?” Porcupine asked.
“Bill just told you, we are having a party,” Jill said angrily.
“Well, for a party, this much food is a waste. You know the fruits, roots, and leaves in this forest are for every one of us. You are doing wrong by wasting the food that we all have to rely on,” the porcupine said.
Hearing that, the monkeys made fun of the porcupine. They jumped on tree branches and started shaking them and making noise. The porcupine smartly left the place, keeping his calm.
The monkeys gathered all the food they collected at a peach tree near a nice grassy area. The monkeys started the party; they tasted every food they collected. Not a single fruit they ate until finished. They took bite by bite from every fruit they collected, leaving the half-eaten fruits on the ground.
After a while, the monkeys were full. Then they started playing with extra food. They threw fruits at each other, running around and climbing up and down trees.
Then, in a while, they all left the place, leaving behind a mess. They had turned the once beautiful grassland into trash land. The day after their party, it rained heavily. Then the leftover food rotted out.
Then, in a few days, the animals in the jungle had a hard time finding food. Fruit-eating birds and animals, such as squirrels, faced a really hard time. Bees didn’t have flowers to make honey. The monkeys had destroyed flower buds too. So, the porcupine’s words came true, and the jungle faced a tough time.
Everyone in the jungle was distressed. The animals started talking about what happened. Yet, no one knew what really happened. Some animals just left the jungle. Therefore, even the big predators were worried.
So, the animals in the jungle gathered around to discuss the fate of the jungle. The bear asked if anyone knew the reason for this mystery. The porcupine described what he saw that day. All of the animals got to know what happened.
“This type of carelessness should not be tolerated,” a goose said.
Then all the animals that gathered echoed through the forest.
“Where are those monkeys right now?” the bear asked.
“Did anyone see them?” he asked.
“I saw them hanging around the pond,” a hummingbird said.
“We have to teach them a lesson,” the moose said.
“But how? It’s not like you can hit them with a stick,” a rabbit said.
“I may have a better idea. Leave that to me, fellas,” a raven said.
“Birds! Come with me,” the raven said, leading all the birds in the forest. So, the birds followed the raven. Within seconds, they reached the monkeys, who were chilling at the pond.
“Attack!” the raven gave the signal and glided near a monkey pecking its head. Instantly, all the birds started to attack the monkeys. The monkeys ran towards the jungle and climbed up trees. But they couldn’t hide from the mighty bird army. The birds followed and attacked the monkeys wherever they went, till the end of the forest. The birds banished the troubling monkeys once and for all.
The rest of the animals in the forest gathered around and discussed how to face the food problem. They all agreed to consume only what they needed and not waste anything. Starting from that day, that became a rule in the jungle and spread all other jungles around the world. That is why, even today, animals only take what they need to survive and do not store more than they need. Only the monkeys are the ones who grab everything, instead of taking only what is needed, from that time until today.