In a big forest, many animals lived together. There was a herd of elephants led by a wise and kind female elephant named Malini.
She always cared for every member of the herd. Whenever they went in search of food or water, Malini walked at the front, protecting them from dangers like hidden traps made by hunters.
One day, Malini gave birth to a baby elephant. The entire herd was surprised because the baby was not like the others.
He was a rare white elephant! While all the other elephants were grey, this little one had pure white skin. The news of the white elephant spread quickly, and many animals came to see him. But Malini was not happy about the attention.
Her friend Poonam, another elephant, asked, “Why are you so worried, Malini?”
Malini replied, “You don’t understand. A white elephant is very rare. Hunters might try to capture him. His life is in danger.”
Poonam agreed and said, “You’re right! If hunters find out, they will do anything to take him. We must protect him.”
Poonam gathered the entire herd and declared, “From now on, we will all protect Malini’s baby. We will even risk our lives to keep him safe!”
The herd raised their trunks in agreement. From that day, whenever the herd went out, four elephants stayed behind to guard the baby. The rest of the herd brought back food and water for them.
However, soon hunters learned about the white elephant. Their leader, Robert, who had modern weapons, told his team, “If we capture the white elephant, we’ll earn so much money that we’ll never need to hunt again!”
The hunters started secretly watching the elephants. One day, while the herd was moving through the forest, Malini noticed a hunter hiding in a tree. She became alert and warned the others. Although she didn’t find any traps, she suspected danger and decided to return to their safe place.
Later, Malini called a meeting and said, “The hunters are not attacking us, but they are definitely watching us. I believe they want to steal my baby.”
One elephant suggested, “If that’s true, we should attack them first and scare them away!”
Malini shook her head. “No. If we attack, they will get angry and hurt us. We need to be smart.”
That night, Malini went to the king of the jungle—the lion—and explained everything. The lion said, “Don’t worry, sister. We all live together in this forest. Tell me what you need.”
Malini asked, “Can you keep my baby safe in your cave until he grows up?”
The lion smiled and said, “Of course! Your baby will be like my nephew. My wife and I will guard the cave. No one will dare to come near it. The white elephant is the pride of our forest.”
The white elephant started living safely in the lion’s cave. Meanwhile, the herd roamed the forest freely. The hunters searched everywhere but couldn’t find the baby elephant. Frustrated, Robert scolded his team, “You can’t even find one baby elephant! Where did he go?”
One hunter replied, “We don’t know. Elephants never leave their babies alone. Either they’ve sent him far away, or he’s no longer alive.”
Robert sighed. “It’s unlikely they sent him to another forest. It’s more likely he’s dead. We’ve wasted a lot of time here. Let’s keep watching for a few more days. If we still don’t find him, we’ll move to another forest.”
The hunters searched for days but found nothing. Eventually, they gave up and left the forest.
Thanks to Malini’s cleverness, her baby was safe. As the years passed, the white elephant grew strong and wise, just like his mother. Malini, now old and weak, proudly watched as her son became the new leader of the herd.
He protected everyone from danger, and hunters were too afraid to enter the forest when they saw his mighty presence.
The white elephant had become a true guardian of the forest!
Moral: Unity, wisdom, and teamwork can overcome any danger.
