The Story of Mowgli      The Cub Program     Badges Information

The Jungle Book story was written by Rudyard Kipling who was a close friend of Baden Powell. There was more than one story and all used animals to teach a moral lesson. These lessons appealed to Lord Baden-Powell who thought that he could adapt them to create a programme for the younger members of the Scout movement.The wolf cubs played happily close to their den one evening just before hunting time when along came the sneaky jackal looking for food. In exchange for scraps of food, Tabaqui told Father Wolf that Shere Khan the tiger had returned to the jungle. Within seconds a huge roar was heard close by, followed by purring, and then a howl!! Father Wolf rushed out of the den in time to see that Shere Khan had burnt his tail whilst trying to attack a woodcutter and his wife, who had both managed to run away. Standing at the entrance to the den, Mother Wolf (Raksha) heard a rustling nearby and a baby boy crawled out from the bushes, towards her. Raksha leant down to lick the baby who was not afraid.

Within seconds another roar was heard and Shere Khanbound into the clearing demanding his prey. Father Wolf bravely told Shere Khan that they took orders from the leader of the Pack and since the cub went to the wolves, he belonged to them. The tiger was not pleased and was about to attack, when Raksha spoke that the baby was theirs and would not be killed. Shere Khan realised that it would be impossible to fight both wolves so he left warning that he would return and demand the man-cub as his rightful prey one day.

Mother Wolf led the man-cub into the cave to lie with her own cubs and decided to call him Mowgli which means little frog because the baby had no hair and looked like a frog to Raksha.

It was the custom amongst wolves that as soon as a cubwas big enough it would be paraded in front of the Pack Council.

This was so all wolves in the pack could recognise eachother and not attack any member of the pack by mistake. All the cubs paraded in the center of the ring of wolves and when Mowgli joined them, the wolves complained that he was not a wolf and so should be killed. Shere Khan who was outside the ring of wolves roared that the man-cub was his and demanded that he be given Mowgli.

The great brown bear Baloo was the teacher of the wolf cubs and was allowed to attend the Pack Council.

He did not think that the man-cub was harmful and offeredto teach Mowgli the ways of the pack himself. Bagheera the panther was watching all that was going on. He offered to give the pack a buffalo he just killed in exchange for the life of the man-cub. The pack was hungry and so agreed that the man-cub could stay with the pack in return for the buffalo. Akela the leader of the pack ordered Father Wolf to take Mowgli away and train him well.

And that is how Mowgli entered the Seeonee wood pack � for the price of a buffalo and on the good word of Baloo the bear!