Feral child facts for kids

Mowgli was a fictional feral child in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.

A 'feral child (also called a wild child) is a young person who has lived away from people from a very young age. This means they haven't had much or any experience with human care, how people act together, or how to talk. These children haven't learned the basic things that kids usually learn from their families and friends. Sometimes, these children have had a tough time before they were left alone. People often tell stories about them, like they were raised by animals. While some children have been found near animals, there's no real proof that animals have fed or raised them.

Description
Accounts of children raised by animals
Feral Children in Stories
See also

Description

Feral children don't have the social skills that kids learn by being around others. For example, they might not know how to use a toilet, might have trouble walking on two feet if they've been walking like animals, or might not be interested in what people are doing. It can be hard for them to learn and they often have a very hard time learning to talk. Scientists think there might be a special time when it's easier to learn languages, and if you miss that time, it's much harder.

We don't know a lot about feral children because there haven't been many studies about them.

Accounts of children raised by animals

Raised by primates/monkeys

Lucas, a native South African boy who was nurtured by a group of baboons. The boy was found in 1903.
Marina Chapman claimed to have lived with weeper capuchin monkeys in the Colombian jungle from the age of five to about nine, following a botched kidnapping in about 1954. Unusual for feral children, she went on to marry, have children and live a largely normal life with no persisting problems.
John, a boy who was discovered in 1974 in a jungle of Burundi with a troop of grey monkeys.
Robert Mayanja (1982) lost his parents in the Ugandan Civil War at the age of three, when Milton Obote's soldiers raided their village, around 50 miles (80 km) from Kampala. Robert then survived in the wild, presumably with vervet monkeys, for three years until he was found by soldiers of National Resistance Army.
Saturday Mthiyane (or Mifune) (1987), a boy of around five, was found after spending about a year in the company of monkeys in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He was given the name Saturday after the day he was found, and Mthiyane was the name of the headmistress of the Special School which took him in. At the age of around 17, he could still not talk, and still walked and jumped like a monkey. He never ate cooked food and refused to share or play with other children. In 2005 he was killed in a fire.
John Ssebunya, from Uganda, was a toddler when his father and mother died. Instead of going into a care facility, he went to live with vervet monkeys. For two years he learned how to forage and travel. The monkeys protected him in the wild. When he was around seven years old, he was brought back to civilization. According to a local villager, when he was a child, the only forms of communication he was capable of were crying and demanding food, and he was a "wild boy" whom everyone feared. He has since gained full speech abilities and has also twice competed in the Special Olympics for Uganda.

Raised by wolves

Hessian wolf-children (1304, 1341 and 1344) lived with the Eurasian wolf in the forests of Hesse:
- The first boy (1304) was taken by wolves at age 3 and found when 7 or 8 by Benedictine monks, the wolves having cared for him by "surrounding him in cold weather, and fed him the best meat from the hunt." He was later sent to the court of Prince Henry, and became accustomed to human society but said he preferred the wolves.
- The second boy (1341) resisted capture, biting and scratching; he continued to run on all four limbs and hid under a bench. He refused any food given to him and died shortly after being found.
- The third boy (1344) was found in the winter near the farm Echtzel in Wetterau. He had lived with wolves in a dense wooded area known as "the Hart" for 12 years. He was found by nobles who used the area as hunting grounds. He eventually lived to the age of 80, but has also been reported as having died shortly after discovery.
The Hasunpur wolf boy (1843), wandered into the town at around age 12, apparently raised by wolves. He was dark-skinned, covered in short hair, and ate both cooked and raw meat. He soon learned to walk and understand hand signs but never spoke; he often sat at a shop in the town bazaar, where his parents recognized him and took him back. His further fate is unknown. (Case reported by the Rajah of Hasunpoor Bundooa.)
Dina Sanichar, discovered among wolves in a cave in Sikandra (near Agra) in Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1872, at the age of 6. He went on to live among humans for over twenty years, including picking up smoking, but never learned to speak and remained seriously impaired for his entire life.
Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja (c. 1946, Sierra Morena, Spain) lived for 12 years with wolves in the mountains of Southern Spain. He was discovered at age 19. Rodríguez's story was depicted in the 2010 Spanish-German film Entrelobos. For his portrayal of Rodríguez, young actor Manuel Camacho received a Best New Actor nomination at the 2011 Goya Awards.

Raised by dogs

Oxana Malaya was an eight-year-old Ukrainian girl who lived with Black Russian Terriers for six years. She was found in a kennel with dogs in 1991. She was neglected by her parents. The three-year-old, looking for comfort, crawled into the farm and snuggled with the dogs. Her behavior imitated dogs more than humans. She walked on all fours, bared her teeth, and barked. She was removed from her parents' custody by social services. As she lacked human contact, she did not know any words besides yes and no. Upon adulthood, Oxana has been taught to subdue her dog-like behavior. She learned to speak fluently and intelligently and works at the farm milking cows, but remains somewhat intellectually impaired.
Ivan Mishukov, a six-year-old boy born in Reutov, Russia, was rescued by the police in 1998 from wild dogs, with whom he lived for two years. He ran from his mother and her abusive boyfriend at the age of four. He earned the dogs' trust by giving them food and in return the dogs protected him. The boy had risen to being "alpha male" of the pack. When the police found him, they set a trap for him and the dogs by leaving food in a restaurant kitchen. Because he had lived among the dogs for only two years, he relearned language fairly rapidly. He studied in military school and served in the Russian Army.
A 10-year-old Chilean boy (Dog Boy) was rescued in 2001, after living with street dogs for two years. At the age of five, the boy was abandoned by his parents. After fleeing a subsequent child care facility, he roamed the streets with 15 stray dogs. He spent his time with them living in a cave and searching for food, sometimes finding leftovers in garbage cans. In 2001, his situation was brought to the attention of the police. Upon a rescue attempt, the boy tried to escape by jumping into frigid ocean water. However, he was caught and hospitalized. He exhibited depression and aggressive tendencies and, although he could speak, he would rarely do so.
Traian Căldărar, Romania (found in 2002) also known as "the Romanian Dog Boy" or "Mowgli". From the ages of four to seven, Traian lived without his family. The boy was found at the age of seven and was described as a three-year-old due to undernutrition. His mother had left her home because of domestic violence, and Traian ran from home sometime after his mother left. He lived in the wild and took shelter in a cardboard box. He suffered from infected wounds, having poor circulation, and a children's disease caused by vitamin D deficiency. Traian was found by Manolescu Ioan, who had been walking across the country after his car broke down. In the surrounding area, a dog that had been eaten was also found. Many assume that the boy was eating the dog to stay alive. When Traian was being cared for, he would usually sleep under the bed and wanted to eat all the time. In 2007, Traian was being taken care of by his grandfather and was doing well in 3rd grade at school.
Andrei Tolstyk (2004) was raised by dogs in a remote part of Siberia from the age of three months to 7 years. He was neglected by his parents because he had speaking and hearing problems. Social workers who found the boy were curious about why the boy was not admitted to his local school. This boy was not able to talk as he lacked human interaction and had many dog-like characteristics including walking on all fours, biting people, and sniffing his food before eating.
Madina was a three-year-old girl when she was found in Russia in 2013. Madina lived with dogs from birth until she was three years old. She slept with them in the cold, ate food with them, and played with them. Madina's father left her after she was born, after which Madina's mother neglected the child as well. When found by social workers in 2013, Madina was engaged in dog-like behavior, including the chewing of bones. Afterwards doctors confirmed that she was still mentally and physically capable despite being neglected for nearly her entire life.

Raised by bears

In 1619, a 14 or 15-year-old Danish boy was found to have been "living with bears in a wooded area" and reported upon as being "distinguish[able] from [the bears] but by his shape." He later learned to speak but claimed to have no memory of his time with the bears.
The three Lithuanian bear-boys (1657, 1669, 1694) – Serge Aroles shows from the archives of the Queen of Poland (1664–1688) that these are false. There was only one boy who lived in the forests of Lithuania with the Eurasian brown bear; he was found in the spring of 1663 and then brought to Poland's capital. The boy, named Joseph, was one of two boys seen by hunters living in the woods with the bears. He was captured at about age 9, learning to walk upright and eat cooked meat, but disliked clothes and never spoke well. The other boy was never captured; the two may have been accidentally abandoned by their families trying to avoid Tatar raids.

Raised by sheep

An Irish boy brought up by sheep, reported by Nicolaes Tulp in his book Observationes Medicae (1672). The boy reportedly avoided capture for some time and, after being caught at age 16 in 1672 and taken to Amsterdam, refused to eat normal food, endured extreme temperatures, and still avoided other humans. Serge Aroles gives evidence that this boy was severely disabled and was exhibited for money.
A 14-year-old boy, also known as the sheep boy (2009), was found in Kyrgyzstan living in a sheep flock. He was raised by sheep for 8 years. He had no communication skills and could not use the toilet. His parents left to find work and he was left with his grandmother. His grandmother took care of him until she died.

Raised by cattle

The Bamberg boy reportedly grew up among cattle (late 16th century) in the region's mountains, and was later brought to the Prince of Bamberg's court. He initially continued his wild behavior, such as chasing and fighting dogs on all fours, but eventually accustomed to human society and later married.

Raised by goats

Daniel, called the Andes Goat Boy (1990), lived in the wild for about 8 years. He was discovered in the mountains of Peru and was raised by goats or llamas. He walked and ran on all fours with the mountain goats. He drank goat's milk and ate berries and roots.

Other cases

Kaspar Hauser

Jean de Liège. Described by natural philosopher Sir Kenelm Digby in his book Two Treatises (1644). Jean, at age five, hid in the woods with his fellow villagers during a religious war. After the fighting left the area, Jean remained in the woods for another 16 years without human contact; during this time his senses became incredibly sharp. He was captured at age 21, "'all overgrown with hair,' and incapable of speech"; he reintegrated to human society and learned to speak, but lost his acute senses.
Anna Maria Jennaert, (1717) caught at Kranenburg near Zwolle. She was born in Antwerp in 1698 and had been kidnapped in 1700 at 16 months old. She was taken by the mistress of a recently deceased merchant who had willed 5,000 dollars to the mistress's (also deceased) baby; the mistress took Jennaert to pass off as her own to collect the money. A large group had to be used to capture her, and she was found unable to speak and surviving on leaves and grass. In January 1718, she was identified after newspapers covered her story and reunited with her mother. She never learned to speak but recognized her mother and re-accustomed herself to human society.
The girl of Oranienburg (1717).
The two Pyrenean boys (1719). The boys were reported to "run along the mountains on all-fours, and leaped from one rock to another like the chamois." They were found on the French side of the range. Very little details are available of their case. They were seen, but not captured.
The girl of Issaux (1719?) was lost in the woods of the Pyrenees with friends at age eight and found at age 16 by a group of shepherds. She did not like human society and wished to return to the woods.
A wild man in the Pyrenees (1723). He was caught by some hunters but escaped before reintegrating into human society.
Peter the Wild Boy of Hamelin (1724) – Mentally disabled boy with Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome.
Another man in the Pyrenees (1774). Found by shepherds in forest of Yvary, he "inhabited the rocks" and was described as a "mild character" and a "solitary, but cheerful creature," harmlessly visiting the cottages of nearby workers. He never attempted to harm any animals, and always outran the shepherds' dogs when they were sent after him. While at one of the workers' cottages he was briefly caught, but "laughed heartily" and escaped. He appeared to be around 30, and was suspected to have been lost as an infant and "subsisted on herbs."
Another boy in the Pyrenees (1775).
Victor of Aveyron (1800) – Victor was a feral child in the forests of Aveyron for twelve years. The subject is treated with a certain amount of realism in François Truffaut's 1970 film L'Enfant Sauvage (UK: The Wild Boy, US: The Wild Child), where a scientist's efforts in trying to rehabilitate a feral boy meet with great difficulty.
Marie-Angélique Memmie Le Blanc was a famous feral child of the 18th century in France who was known as The Wild Girl of Champagne, The Maid of Châlons, or The Wild Child of Songy. Marie-Angélique survived for ten years living wild in the forests of France, between the ages of nine and 19, before she was captured by villagers in Songy in Champagne in September 1731. She was likely born in 1712 as a Native American of the Meskwaki (or "Fox") people, and brought to France in 1720; or she was born in an unknown location in 1712. Marie died in Paris in 1775. Documents show that she learned to read and write as an adult, thus making her unique among feral children.
Hany Istók (a.k.a. Steve of the Marsh) of Kapuvár, Hungary (1749). According to documents stored at the Catholic parish of Kapuvár, an abandoned child was once found in a marshy lakeside forest by two fishermen. He was brought to the town of Kapuvár, where he was christened and received the name Steven. The local governor took him to his castle and tried to raise him, but the boy eventually escaped and ran back to the forest. Later, numerous folk tales developed around his character, depicting him as a "half fish, half human creature" who lived in a nearby lake.
Kaspar Hauser (early 19th century), portrayed in the 1974 Werner Herzog film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle), who existed but whose account of his own early isolation may have been a hoax.
Ramachandra (1970s and 1980s) – First reported in 1973 in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, at roughly 12 years old, and as living an amphibian lifestyle in the Kuwano River. He was rescued in 1979 and taken to a nearby village. He only partly adapted to a conventional lifestyle, still preferring raw food, walking with an awkward gait, and spending most of his time alone in nearby rivers and streams. He died in 1982 after approaching a woman who was frightened by him, and who badly scalded Ramachandra with boiling water.
Cambodian jungle girl (2007) – Alleged to be Rochom P'ngieng, who lived 19 years in the Cambodian jungle. Other sources questioned these claims. In August 2016, after immigration officials spent two weeks reviewing the case, the woman left Cambodia with her family and returned to Vietnam. Vietnamese media reported that her birth father discovered her through photographs on Facebook. The woman never learned to speak while living with her adoptive family in Cambodia, and according to her Vietnamese birth family, she has been that way since birth.
Ng Chhaidy, Theiva near Saiha, Mizoram, India (2012) – She went missing in a jungle aged four, returning 38 years later. When she was first seen, she was long-haired, and with long fingernails, which caused her to be seen as a "wild woman".
Ho Van Lang (2013) was found in Quang Ngai, Vietnam. His father, Ho Van Thanh, took him into the jungle (leaving behind a brother, Ho Van Tri) to flee from the Vietnam War, where he was raised for four decades in isolation. Upon discovery, he barely spoke a few words of the local dialect from the Cor minority. According to his brother, he was developmentally stunted like a child and could not distinguish good from bad. He died of liver cancer on 7 September 2021, at age 52.

Feral Children in Stories

Many stories and legends tell about feral children who were raised by animals. Some famous examples are Romulus and Remus, Mowgli, Tarzan, and George of the Jungle.

These stories often show the children growing up with normal intelligence and skills. But in real life, it's very hard for feral children to learn and live with people.