Once upon a time, there was a mischievous monkey named Bongo Bingo. Bongo lived in a lush jungle filled with colorful birds, exotic plants, and plenty of ripe bananas. However, Bongo was not content with simply eating bananas and swinging from tree to tree like his monkey friends. No, Bongo had a mischievous streak that often got him into trouble (you see he was raised by wolves as a child and never got the therapy he needed).
One day, Bongo was feeling particularly mischievous. As he was swinging through the trees, he spotted a group of tourists walking through the jungle. Bongo had seen tourists before, but this time he had an idea. He climbed down from the trees and tiptoed behind the unsuspecting tourists. When he got close enough, he gathered a pile of his own poop in his hands and flung it at the group.
The tourists were shocked and disgusted as the poop splattered all over them. Bongo was laughing so hard he almost fell out of the tree. He couldn’t believe how funny it was to see the humans covered in poop. But little did Bongo know that his prank would have some unintended consequences.
The next day, Bongo Bingo woke up feeling a little under the weather. He had a tummy ache and didn’t feel much like eating. As the day went on, Bongo’s tummy ache got worse, and he started to feel really sick. It turns out that the poop he had thrown at the tourists had made him sick. “Who knew?” Bingo said to himself, “Well I guess I should have since I’m a bit of an Einstein among monkeys – Fred, that is and not Albert.”
So, Bongo, the poop throwing monkey, learned his lesson that day. He realized that sometimes his pranks could have unintended consequences. So, Bongo stuck to swinging from tree to tree and eating bananas. And whenever he saw tourists in the jungle, he made sure to keep his distance and avoid throwing any more poop their way. This sentiment did not last, however.
As fate would have it, Bongo’s poop-throwing prank became legendary among the jungle animals. They would gather around him and ask him to tell the story of how he splattered the tourists with poop. Bongo loved the attention and would embellish the story every time he told it. The jungle standup chameleons had nothing on Bong.
One day, a group of monkeys from a nearby jungle came to visit Bongo. They had heard about his poop-throwing prank and wanted to see if he could teach them how to do it. Bongo was hesitant at first, knowing the consequences of his actions. But the other monkeys begged and pleaded, promising to keep it a secret.
Bongo, the poop throwing monkey, eventually gave in and taught the other monkeys how to throw excrement. They practiced for hours, flinging poo at trees and rocks until they got the hang of it. But just as they were about to leave, they spotted a group of tourists walking through the forest.
Without thinking, the monkeys sprang into action, flinging poop at the unsuspecting tourists. The tourists were furious and chased after the monkeys, who scampered back to Bongo’s jungle. The monkeys hid in the trees while the tourists searched the woods. When the coast was clear they returned to their own jungle.
One little boy cried out to his father, “Why do monkeys throw poop?”
The father replied in disgust, “Simply because they can!”
Bongo Bingo, the poop throwing monkey, felt terrible for teaching the other monkeys such a terrible prank. He knew he had to make it right. So, he went to the other jungle and apologized to the monkeys and the tourists. He promised never to teach anyone how to throw poo again and vowed to be a better role model for the jungle animals.
From that day forward, Bongo kept his promise and became known as the reformed poop throwing monkey. The other animals looked up to him and admired his bravery in admitting his mistake. And as for the tourists, they never forgot their run-in with the mischievous monkeys of the jungle.
As the tourists were leaving the jungle, one of them looked back and saw Bongo hanging from a tree branch. The tourist couldn’t resist the opportunity to get revenge and decided to throw a banana peel at Bongo.
But as the banana peel sailed through the air, it missed Bongo and hit a nearby gorilla, Bungo Bango, instead. The gorilla, who had been minding his own business, was not amused. In fact, he was so angry that he chased after the tourists, who ran as fast as they could out of the forest.
Bongo couldn’t believe what had just happened. He had thought the prank was over, but now he had accidentally caused a gorilla to go on a rampage. He quickly realized that he had to make things right before anyone else got hurt.
Bongo went to the gorilla, Bungo and apologized for the banana peel incident. To his surprise, the gorilla forgave him and even laughed at the situation. From then on, Bongo and the gorilla became unlikely friends and were known as the dynamic duo of the jungle.
The other animals couldn’t believe it when they saw Bongo and the gorilla hanging out together. It was as if they were two peas in a pod. And whenever anyone asked how they became friends, Bongo would simply shrug and say, “It’s a long story involving monkeys that throw poop, bananas, and a really angry gorilla.”
The animals would all laugh at the absurdity of it, but deep down, they knew that Bongo had learned his lesson and had become a better monkey because of it. And as for the tourists, they never returned to the jungle again, not wanting to risk another encounter with the mischievous and unpredictable animals.
As the gorilla and Bongo were hanging out in the jungle, the other animals gathered around to hear their story. “So, how did you guys become friends?” asked a curious monkey (aka George of the Jungle).
“Well, it’s a long story,” Bongo replied, “It all started with a poop throwing prank gone wrong.”
The animals all gasped in shock and amusement, knowing Bongo’s reputation for being mischievous.
The gorilla chuckled and added, “And because of Bongo that guy threw a banana peel that hit me, and I chased after the tourists.”
The animals burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. Bongo and the gorilla, Bungo looked at each other and smiled, knowing that their friendship was a rare and unexpected gift.
“So, what did you learn from all of this, Bongo?” asked a wise old elephant.
Bongo thought for a moment and then replied, “I learned that sometimes, our pranks can have unintended consequences, and we need to be mindful of the impact they have on others.”
The other animals nodded in agreement, impressed by Bongo’s newfound wisdom.
From that day forward, Bongo became known as the reformed poop throwing monkey prankster of the jungle, and he made it his mission to help other animals learn from his mistakes. And as for the gorilla, he became the protector of the jungle, watching over all of the animals and making sure that no one got hurt. Together, Bongo and the gorilla were unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with in the forest.
Just as the animals were finishing up their conversation, they heard a loud noise coming from the nearby bushes (The Guns N’ Roses song Welcome to The Jungle was playing). They all tensed up, ready to defend themselves against whatever was coming their way.
Suddenly, a group of tourists stumbled out of the bushes, covered in mud and leaves. They looked terrified and confused, wondering how they had ended up in this jungle.
Bongo and the gorilla looked at each other in disbelief. “Oh no,” Bongo said, “Not again.”
It turned out that the tourists had gotten lost on their way out of the jungle and had accidentally stumbled into a part of the jungle that was off-limits to visitors. The animals couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of the situation, knowing that the tourists had gotten a taste of their own medicine.
Bongo stepped forward and said, “Well, it looks like we have some new visitors to the jungle. Welcome, welcome. I hope you don’t mind the mud and leaves. It’s all part of the jungle experience.”
The tourists looked at Bongo in confusion, not quite sure what to make of the situation. But as they looked around and saw the animals all smiling and laughing, they couldn’t help but smile too. The monkeys that throw poop were not armed and looked harmless and even joyful (and of course the animal teenagers were on their cellphones disinterested in what the adults were doing).
And from that day forward, this group of tourists became regular visitors to the jungle, always eager for another adventure with Bongo, Bungo and friends. And whenever anyone asked how they ended up in the jungle, the tourists would simply smile and say, “It’s a long story involving a poop throwing monkey, bananas, an angry gorilla and getting lost in the jungle.” Animals and people alike dubbed this adventure, the Bungle in the Jungle, with a nod to two newborn apes named George and Jethro.
Written by Tarzan and Jane Goodall