The Doves' Escape

A Panchatantra Story
Retold by Jane Page

This story is from the Panchatantra, a collection of stories from India written over 2000 years ago. It’s been changed some through the years, of course, and changed some by me too. In this story there is a hunter, and he is trying to catch some birds. So he sets out a net under a banyan tree where he knows the doves like to come. Then he spreads seeds all out within it, for he knows that when the birds come to get the seeds, their feet will get all tangled up in the net and they will be caught.

Sure enough, along comes a group of peaceful doves looking for food. And one of them, called Bright Wing, has been selected as their leader because they think she has good vision. And indeed, she does see the seeds, because that is what she is looking for. But she fails to see the net.

So Bright Wing says – “Come and go with me and let us feast upon the seeds.” And they all go to feast and they enjoy being fed. And none of them see the trouble of the net, although it’s right under their noses, because they are enjoying the feast and not paying attention. Then some realize that the little ones are having some trouble, and go to help them, but they can’t move because their feet are all tangled in the net.

“Oh now – what are we to do?” they ask Bright Wing.

And she replies, “Oh, I just provided the vision. Our dove board will need to discuss this to come up with a remedy to free us.”

So the board members meet and decide it is their responsibility to get them out of this mess. They decide that the board members will all flap their wings and see if they can lift the whole group. And Bright Wing flaps hers too. But they cannot lift the flock.

Then little Benny bird says, “I’ll flap my wings too.”

But they reply, “Oh no- you are too young and inexperienced!”

One board member asks: “What about Betsy Bird. She looks like she as strong wings!”

But another says: “Oh no – she just joined our flock and we should not put her to work so early.”

So another asks: “What about our elder birds who have led us before?”

But one of the elder birds, Miss Dora Dove, heard them and chirped: “Oh no, we have already worked hard enough and we are tired of flapping our wings, it’s your turn now.”

And so it goes till one of them hears the hunter coming and shouts: “We are one dove community, and we must all work together or perish together.”

Well, that got their attention and they decided that they should all flap together, and they did, every one of those doves from little Benny Bird to Old Miss Dora Dove. And they lifted that net high into the sky and away from the hunter.


Now that could be the end of the story, but their feet were still tangled in the net and they were discouraged. Then Bright Wing said, “Fear not – for that’s why we are friends with other animals and are in association with them. Let us fly to the rat’s nest and ask them for help.” And so they fly over and ask their rat friends to gnaw the net so they can be free. And of course, rats love to gnaw nets – so they all join in to free the doves. And all of the animals learned some valuable lessons that day! And perhaps we can learn from them too!