A hungry bear was finding it very difficult to find food. So, one day, the bear decided to sign up to work in a zoo. People will look at him all day long, but in exchange, he will get food to eat. That is certainly better than dying from hunger.
He appeared before the zoo manager and applied for the job. The manager replied, "We don’t need any more bears. The bear department is full. However, there is a vacancy in the monkey house. The eldest monkey died a few weeks ago, and we still didn’t find a replacement. If you want, you can work there."
The bear replied, "But I don’t know the first thing about being a monkey. The spectators will immediately realize that it's a fraud."
"You don’t have to worry" the manager told him. "We have a school on campus, and we will teach you how to swing in the trees, and how to eat bananas...and everyone will assume you are from the monkey family."
The job was very difficult for the heavy bear. He wasn't as light as a monkey who can climb and swing easily in the high trees. But, as the saying goes, "What won't one do for parnassah." So the bear endured the hardships, and tried the best he could.
Nighttime arrived, and it was time for dinner. "This is what I've been waiting for all day along" the bear thought to himself. They threw him some bananas and some peanuts. It wasn't the foods he was accustomed to eat, and even if it were, it wasn't nearly enough for a large bear, like himself. His stomach grumbled from hunger.
The bear starting walking around the zoo, thinking about his dilemma, when he saw a sign that said, "Bears"! He went right inside. This is where he could be himself. He saw one bear sitting next to a large portion of food, but wasn't eating anything.
