It was a sunny afternoon at the city zoo, and the tiger family was enjoying their time in the spacious enclosure. The tiger parents—Raya and Kuno—watched over their three playful cubs as they pounced, tumbled, and explored every corner of their home. Full of energy and curiosity, the cubs had recently discovered the joy of climbing.
One adventurous cub, named Tiko, decided to climb a tall tree near the edge of the enclosure. His siblings followed halfway, but Tiko, eager to show off, climbed all the way to the top. What he didn’t expect was how tricky it would be to get back down.
Soon, a soft whimper echoed through the air. Tiko was stuck—clinging to a high branch, too scared to move. His mother, Raya, paced anxiously below, while Kuno let out a deep roar, calling for attention.
Visitors gathered, noticing the unusual noise. Within moments, a zookeeper named Maya rushed over. She had known the tigers since they were cubs themselves and understood their signals well.
Seeing Tiko trembling in the tree and the parents clearly distressed, Maya radioed for help. Using calm gestures and soft words, she reassured the big cats. With the help of a ladder and a safety harness, Maya carefully climbed up to rescue the frightened cub.
After a tense few minutes, Tiko was gently brought down and reunited with his family. Raya licked her cub with relief, and Kuno gave a proud grunt.
The crowd cheered, and Maya smiled, knowing it was all in a day’s work. From then on, the zoo added lower climbing platforms—safe and fun for even the boldest cub.
Tiko never climbed quite so high again—but he still loved to play.
