This is a story that has been told to the children of the Shona tribe in Africa for hundreds of years.
A long, long time ago, our world was very new and all of the animals lived aboveground. Aardvark was a happy, kind and friendly animal. He was a friend to all the other animals.
One day, Aardvark was taking a walk. On the path he found a baby bird that had fallen from its nest and died. This made Aardvark very unhappy, but he continued his walk.
He came to a small puddle that had no water in it. He saw several beautiful butterflies that had died of thirst beside the dry puddle. This sad sight made him very upset. He loved to watch the butterflies flutter among the flowers.
As he walked farther down the trail, Aardvark came across Baboon. Baboon had killed some birds and was taking them home to eat.
"I loved those birds!" cried Aardvark. "They were beautiful and sang wonderful songs!" Aardvark was so sad that he burst into tears.
He saw more and more sad sights and heard sad stories from many animals. Finally, Aardvark reached a decision.
"I will dig a tunnel and live under the ground from now on," he said. "I cannot bear to see more sad things. I love all the animals too much!"
True to his word, Aardvark dug a large tunnel in the earth with his strong front legs. He only came out at night to eat. He offered his tunnels to animals during bad weather or if they were in danger. They are all safe, thanks to the kindness and gentle heart of Aardvark.
* Joyce Glazier's background includes working for several zoos.
* This story will be on The Times' Web site at http://www.latimes.com/kids.
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Some Facts About Aardvarks
* Pale yellowish-gray in color.
* Look like pigs with long muzzles and ears.
* Heavy, powerful legs.
* Back legs are much larger and heavier than front legs.
* Thick, tapering tails.
* Large claws for digging.
* Nocturnal (active at night).
* Move slowly with their noses close to the ground.
* Long, sticky tongues.
* Like to eat ants and termites.
* Poor eyesight.
* Excellent senses of smell and hearing.
