How Lion became vegetarian

Пётр Квитко
Once upon a time in Africa lived young lion in a large pride. Members of the pride were hunting other animals for food like they were taught by their fathers and were very proud of their hunting skills. But young lion did not want to kill other animals for food or for any other reason. As a cub he used to play with cubs of other animals and was friendly with them. He thought it would be great if he could find a way to feed himself without hurting other animals. He knew that some animals like elephants and giraffes ate only fruits and vegetables and were very happy about it. So he decided to become vegetarian too. Because other members of the pride did not like the idea he left the pride and started searching for a place with a lot of fruits and vegetables. On his way he was passing a farm with cows grazing in the field. He came to a cow and told her that he was looking for a place with a lot of fruits and vegetables. Cow responded: You came to the right place. We have plenty of fruits and vegetables on the farm. The farmer plows that field in the spring, puts seeds in the earth, and in autumn he collects harvest of vegetables and in that orchard over there he grows many fruit trees. If you could help out on the farm, I am sure the farmer will let you stay here. The lion said: This place is very nice, I am sure I can learn how to produce fruits and vegetables here. So he stayed on the farm and worked as a shepherd for sheep, while learning about agriculture. After two years he knew everything on how to grow fruits and vegetables and decided to start his own farm. So he went looking for fertile land that nobody occupied. After many days of searching, he found a perfect place near the river.