The Alligator and the Jackal Story in English

The Alligator and The Jackal resided in the jungle by a river. The jackal would venture to the river daily, searching for food crabs concealed on the banks. Sharing the waters was an alligator who was always hungry and eyeing the little jackal hungrily. One day, during its crab hunt, the jackal encountered an alligator lurking beneath the surface with only its nostrils peeking out.

The jackal saw the tip and thought it was a crab. As soon as he tried to catch it, snap! The alligator caught the jackal’s paw in his big mouth.

The jackal got scared. He knew the alligator would pull him into the water and eat him. But he had to think fast to escape. “You silly alligator, you missed me. You caught a piece of grass instead. Let me go now,” cried the jackal. The alligator thought momentarily and said, “Oh, it was not the jackal I caught. It was just grass. Let me open my mouth.”

When the alligator opened his mouth, the jackal pulled out his paw and dashed, shouting, “You will never catch me again!”. The alligator was angry that he let the jackal escape.

The Sneaky Alligator

The alligator devised a new strategy the day the small jackal returned to the river for food. Concealing himself in the mud, he exposed the tip of his nose, mimicking the appearance of a crab.

But this time, the jackal was suspicious. He shouted, “I can’t see any crabs here. They usually come out and blow bubbles on the water”.

Hearing this, the sneaky alligator thought – “If I blow bubbles like a crab, the jackal will try to catch me.” So, he started blowing large bubbles on the water’s surface. But as soon as the jackal saw the vast bubbles, he knew it was the tricky alligator. He ran away shouting, “Thank you, alligator, for showing me where you are hiding! I will find food elsewhere”.

The Fig Tree Surprise

One day in the story of The Alligator and The Jackal, the hungry alligator smells the jackal and follows the smell to the giant fig tree. He made a massive pile of figs under the tree and hid inside it. Soon, the jackal also came to the tree, looking for ripe figs.

When he saw the big pile of figs, he got suspicious. “Usually, the wind causes the figs that fall from the tree to tumble around. But these figures are not moving. There must be something hiding under it,” thought the jackal. He shouted to check what it was, “All the good figs roll around, but these figs are not moving. I will find figs somewhere else.”

Hearing this, the alligator knew the jackal would not come near the pile if it remained still. So he started shaking his body hard. All the figs went rolling in different directions. When the jackal saw the figs moving, he understood it was the trickster alligator again.

“Thank you, alligator, for showing me where you were hiding. You cannot catch me so easily,” said the jackal and ran away. The alligator got very angry that his plan failed once more.

The Tables Turn in the Alligator and the Jackal story

The hungry jackal could no longer find enough food in the jungle. He decided to go home, fearing the alligator might be waiting there. When he reached home, he saw signs that some big animal had entered his house.

“Why are you quiet today, little kid?” he exclaimed. Something must be wrong.” The alligator hiding inside thought – “If I don’t reply like the house, he won’t come in.” So he mimicked the house and said, “Everything is alright, little jackal, come inside.”

But the clever jackal had figured out the tricks of the cunning alligator. He knew the alligator must be inside, waiting to catch him. So, he gathered dry leaves and sticks and piled them up against the entrance of his hole. He then lit the fire and blocked the entrance with smoke and fire.

Soon, the trapped alligator started screaming in pain as the fire burnt him. With lots of trouble, the jackal finally got rid of the scary alligator. He danced around happily, knowing he would never have to fear the alligator again.

The Alligator and The Jackal Summary

The Alligator and the Jackal tale depicts a scenario where a famished alligator attempts schemes to capture and devour a jackal residing close to a stream. Each time the alligator hides to ambush the jackal, the clever creature uses its wit to outwit the predator. Ultimately, the situation turns as the alligator ventures into the jackal’s territory to trap it. The jackal manages to outwit and defeat the cunning alligator with an intelligent strategy. The story’s moral is that intelligence can help even the smaller ones overcome the bigger ones if used right.

Children, do you know that The Wolf And Seven Little Goats Story In English For Kids also teaches similar moral? Same with the Midas and the King story.