Why the Ostrich Lays Its Eggs in the Sand

A mother Ostrich had a large clutch of beautiful eggs. She was very proud of them and kept them in a magnificent nest made of soft grasses. A cunning Jackal saw the nest and, one by one, began to steal the eggs while the mother was away. When she discovered the theft, the mother Ostrich was heartbroken. She cried out to the sky spirit, Mukuru. Mukuru saw her sorrow and spoke to her. "You have lost your children because you made them easy to find," the spirit said. "Your pride in your beautiful nest was a beacon for the thief. From now on, you will lay your eggs directly in the sand and cover them. You will not build a nest. Your children's safety will not be in a home you build, but in the secret you keep with the earth itself." The Ostrich obeyed. She laid her next clutch in a shallow scrape in the sand, and the Jackal could not find them. This is why the ostrich does not build a nest, for it learned a hard lesson that sometimes the best way to protect something precious is not to display it proudly, but to hide it humbly.