Freedom

It was Christmas day and the zoo was filled with throngs of people. The cages were cleaned, all the counters were opened and the fair price of the ticket was also increased by one rupee thereby earning huge profits to the zoo authorities.

People were attracted by the various animals of the zoo and their abnormal behaviors. Some animals were just sitting looking at the people, while some were showing some funny moves while some were sleeping lazily, tired of seeing the astonished ugly faces of humans.

The cage of the lion had attracted a huge crowd of people. It was a small cage, barred by iron rods. The gaps of the iron rod were sufficient enough for a cat to pass through but impossible for a lion. The lion was sleeping lazily and was opening its eyes once in a while to see the same boring view of astonished faces peering at him.

But, suddenly the lion opened its eyes and gave such a huge roar that it shook the entire zoo. It quickly got up and started pushing itself against the iron rods, desperate to come out and roaring even louder. The entire crowd was shaken by this and they quickly backed off in fear. Many people even stumbled in fear. But there was one person in the crowd who did not back off.

While everyone was busy backing off, the man kept looking calmly at the beast’s eyes and the lion was also looking towards the man and continued roaring. Before the security guards could have come there to calm down the situation, something unexpected happened.

The man took a gun out of his pocket and fired six consecutive bullets at the lion. When the security guards came, they found the lion dead lying in the pool of its own blood.

The man was arrested and was taken to the court for judgment. The judge asked him, “Why did you kill the poor beast?”

“I did not kill it. I saved it.” said the man calmly looking at the judge and when he saw the judge being perplexed by his answer, he narrated his entire story…..

I live in a small unknown village, adjacent to a forest. Once, when I was only 8 years old, I went into the jungle to buy some wood. Suddenly, I heard the shot of a bullet bring fired. Following the sound, I went there and I saw a wounded baby lion. It was not at all dangerous. It was looking like some puppy at that point of time.

Before I could have helped it, I saw four men coming with fully loaded guns on their shoulders. I readily understood that they were the ones to shoot the bullet and now they are coming to get the lion. I very well understood their intentions. They were about to catch him and either kill him for skin or  sell him in the city to a zoo or circus for money.

So, I quickly hid it with some dry leaves above it and I took refuge behind a tree trunk. The hunters came, searched for him and when they could not find it, they went away dissatisfied.

As soon as they went away, I went to the baby lion and looked at the injury. I was born in a jungle and so I was well aware of the medicinal leaves and trees. So I quickly went and brought the required medicinal leaves and made a paste and applied it on the injury. From that day, it marked the beginning of our friendship.

But one day, when I was collecting woods, I suddenly heard the fire of a bullet and a painful roar of my friend. I quickly followed the sound and went and saw my friend lying unconscious. Before I could have helped him, three men with guns across their shoulders came and pulled me away.

They took my friend away in their car and went. I tried to stop them but one of them hit me very hard in the nose with the edge of his gun and said that if I tried to stop them, then they will kill me and bury me in the jungle.

After tha,t days passed but I could not recover from the painful separation of my friend. But one day, suddenly I saw the picture of my friend in a newspaper.

I made no delay to come to the city to meet my friend. I went to the zoo and requested the zoo authorities to release the lion but they laughed on me. They said that the lion is no more my friend but the property of the zoo, they are free to do anything with him and I am no one to say anything. I even went to the police station for help but there also I faced disappointment.

Every day I started going to the zoo to meet my friend. I used to see him from a distance hiding wherefrom I can see him but he could not see me. People used to throw things at him or make fun of him, disturbing him in his sleep and the king of the jungle used to bear all this humiliation and pain in silence. His silen tears and my helplessness of not being able to help my friend used to eat me alive. He became a morality tale stiff with Schadenfreude.

Finally I decided to grant him freedom. I realized that there is no way I can save him from this torture but death is the one thing that relieves us of every pain, misery, sorrow or tragedy.

So, I finally saved him by killing him.

There was pin drop silence in court. The man had tears in his eyes. He looked at the judge and said with a shaking voice, “Before you prosecute me with the crime of killing an innocent beast, I just have one question. If killing of an animal is a crime, then why isn’t the forfeiting of an animal’s freedom just for the sake of human entertainment isn’t a crime?”

The judge couldn’t give him an answer.