Kalulu the rabbit watched monkey children playing and saw one use its tail to trap another. Inspired, he learned to twist creepers into a noose and practiced catching animals.
Polo the elephant, king of the animals, decided to build a new village and summoned everyone to help. Only Kalulu did not come, lured by the smell of Polo's cooking beans. He stole and ate them when they were cold.
Furious, Polo set guards to catch the thief. First, the lion lay in wait, but Kalulu, overhearing the plan, set a noose. After eating the beans, he lured the lion into the trap, leaving him dangling until evening. Ashamed, the lion did not reveal he was tricked by a rabbit.
The buffalo was next, but Kalulu set a noose between two palm trees and repeated the trick. The buffalo, too embarrassed, only hinted at a misdoer among them.
The leopard, lynx, warthog, and hunting dog were all fooled the same way, and Kalulu kept stealing the beans.
Finally, Nkuvu the tortoise, wiser than the rest, secretly proposed a plan to Polo: he would be smeared with salt and hidden in the beans. The next day, as Kalulu ate the deliciously salty beans, Nkuvu bit his foot and held on tightly.
Kalulu screamed, pleaded, and offered bribes, but Nkuvu remained silent. When the animals returned, they found the thief. To teach him a lesson, they tied him with a noose to a tree for six days without food. By the end, he was so thin they took pity and released him, warning that it is better to work for food than to steal, for a thief will surely be caught in the end.