One day, an out-of-work mime was wandering around the zoo, hoping to make a little money performing for visitors.

Just as he started to gather a small crowd, the zookeeper pulled him aside and brought him into his office.

The zookeeper explained that the zoo’s most popular gorilla had sadly passed away, and they hadn’t found a replacement yet.

Worried about losing visitors, he offered the mime an unusual job: dress up in a gorilla suit and pretend to be the gorilla until they could get a new one.

The mime, needing work, agreed.

The next morning, before the zoo opened, he put on the gorilla suit and stepped into the enclosure. To his surprise, the job was easy — swing on some ropes, eat bananas, nap, and entertain visitors. In fact, the crowds loved him even more than the real gorilla!

But after a while, he got bored of the same old routine. He noticed that more people were gathering around the lion’s cage next door. Not wanting to lose his audience, he climbed the enclosure wall, dangled dangerously close to the lion’s cage, and started showing off. The crowd went wild, and the zookeeper was so impressed, he even gave the mime a raise.

Day after day, the mime got braver and the crowds got bigger. But one afternoon, while performing his usual stunt, he lost his grip and fell right into the lion’s cage. Terrified, he ran in circles with the lion chasing him. Out of pure panic, the mime finally shouted,
“Help! Somebody help me!”

The lion pounced, pinned him to the ground, and quietly growled,
“Shhh! Be quiet… or we’re both going to lose our jobs!”