A Scene Impossible
Forget Zookeepers and zoo visitors; everyone held their breath as the monkey slowly approached the lion. Some people closed their eyes; others couldn’t look away, waiting to see the seemingly angry lion’s reaction.
What was about to happen in that enclosure would mark them for the rest of their lives… But why had the monkey begun to bother the lion daily? Why was the animal only reacting now, and what would it do to the monkey?
James the Zookeeper
It had become a real custom. A few years earlier, young Freddy, the monkey, had started to play and tease Mufasa, the lion. James was a veteran among the zookeepers and was responsible for feeding both Mufasa and Freddy.
The keeper had never been really worried about the situation between the lion and the young monkey. He couldn’t imagine that things could escalate one day. What started as an innocent play between two animals was about to turn into something entirely different.
Whys and Wherefores
One day, James was alerted by a visitor: something was happening in the lion’s enclosure! James asked the visitor what he saw, as people often overreact to the behaviors of different zoo animals.
However, that day, the person seemed truly shocked. They stammered a few words and left immediately afterward. So, they gave no clear explanation to the keeper. James had to hurry because Mufasa’s enclosure was at the other end of the zoo!
More and More Concerned People
On his way to the lion’s enclosure to check on Mufasa and Freddy, James was stopped several times by other zoo visitors. Everyone seemed worried, constantly talking about a lion and a monkey.
Hearing these mounting concerns, James started to worry more. After all, he was in charge of the well-being of the lions and monkeys. Had he done something wrong? What was happening between Mufasa and Freddy?
Nothing Serious
When James got there, he realized that the visitors had indeed overreacted. Freddy and Mufasa were just playing! The spectators were merely worried about watching the two animals chasing each other.
Sure, Mufasa’s size made him look intimidating compared to the little monkey, but their chase was entirely innocent. Freddy was in no danger at all! However, the visitors were right, for the relationship between Freddy and Mufasa was about to change…
Resuming His Rounds
James was reassured to see the two animals were just playing. Mufasa had no intention of attacking the young monkey. As the keeper was about to leave to continue his work elsewhere in the zoo, something caught his eye.
Indeed, when the keeper looked over his shoulder one last time, he saw Mufasa start to roar at Freddy, who had picked up a stick to tease the predator. Were the visitors right to worry? Was this game about to turn nasty?
Reassuring the Visitors
James wasn’t genuinely concerned; maybe Mufasa would just roar at Freddy to intimidate him. James reassured the worried visitors, explaining the perceived tension in the enclosure.
The keeper still had a lot of work to do and promised the visitors he would come back to check on Mufasa and Freddy first thing the next morning. James’s idea was just to reassure the visitors, but he soon realized he had every reason to closely monitor the two animals.
First, at the Zoo
The next morning, as promised, James got to the zoo very early to check on the situation between the lion and the monkey. He was not comfortable with Mufasa acting more aggressively than usual toward Freddy. He preferred to keep a close eye on both animals.
It was possible that the predator would finally get annoyed and decide to attack the young monkey after all these years. The keeper was one of the first to enter the zoo and went straight to Mufasa’s enclosure. When he arrived, he was shocked…