Why the Cattle Egret Follows the Cattle
Zulu folktale · izinganekwane
Kwesukasukela. In the days of the animals there was a small white bird who lived apart, finding little to eat in the empty grass and growing thin and lonely. The great beasts of the field paid it no heed, for it was small and seemed of no use to anyone.
One day the cattle came grazing across the veld, and as their heavy hooves trampled the long grass, swarms of insects and grasshoppers leapt up before them in panic. The little white bird saw at once that here was a feast, and it followed close behind the herd, snatching up the disturbed insects as fast as they sprang. For the first time it ate its fill.
The cattle, in turn, found the bird a friend, for it picked the biting ticks and flies from their backs and warned them with its calls when danger drew near. So a friendship was struck between the herd and the bird, each serving the other. From that day the white egret has never strayed far from the cattle, walking among their feet and riding upon their backs, and that is why, the elders say, you will always see the ilanda where the cattle graze. Cosu cosu, iyaphela.
The lesson: Cooperation benefits both parties; even the small and overlooked can find their place and worth through mutual help.