Mowgli is a popular character coined by Kipling. For a long time, this hero continues to be admired by both book lovers and moviegoers. And there is nothing strange in this, because Mowgli embodies beauty, intelligence and nobility, being at the same time just a fairy tale of the jungle.
There is another fairly well-known character, brought up by monkeys. This, of course, is about Tarzan. According to the book, he managed not only to join the society, but also successfully marry. In this animal habits almost completely disappeared.
Is there a place for fairy tales in the real world?
Naturally, the stories look quite attractive, they are breathtaking, enthralling to the world of adventure and are made to believe that the characters will find their place in any country, in any conditions. But in reality, everything does not look so beautiful. There have never been such cases when a child raised by animals became a person over time. He will begin to develop Mowgli syndrome.
The main features of the disease
The development of people is characterized by the presence of specific boundaries when certain functions are laid. Speech training, imitation of parents, upright posture and much more. And if the child does not learn all this, then he will not do this when he grows up. And the real Mowgli is unlikely to learn human speech, will not walk on all fours. And he would never understand the moral principles of society.
So what does Mowgli syndrome mean by itself? We are talking about a number of signs and parameters that are possessed by those who were not brought up in human society. This is the ability to talk, and the fear caused by people, and the non-recognition of tableware, etc.
Of course, the “human cub” raised by animals can be taught to imitate the speech or behavior inherent in people. But Mowgli syndrome turns all this into an ordinary training. Naturally, a child is able to adapt to society if he is returned before the onset of 12-13 years. However, he will still suffer from mental disorders.
There was a case when a child was raised by dogs. Over time, the girl was taught to talk, but she did not begin to consider herself a person. In her opinion, she was a dog and did not belong to human society. Mowgli’s syndrome sometimes leads to death, because children brought up by animals, getting to people, begin to experience also a cultural shock, and not just physiological.
Specialists know a large number of stories of “human cubs”, and only a small part of them is known to the public. This review will cover the most famous Mowgli children.
Chimpanzee Boy from Nigeria
In 1996, a Bello boy was found in the jungle of Nigeria. It was difficult to determine his exact age, but according to the assumptions of specialists, the child was only 2 years old. The foundling was found to have deviations of a physical and mental nature. Apparently because of this, he was left in the forest. Naturally, he could not fend for himself, but the chimpanzees not only did not harm him, but also accepted him into his tribe.
Like many other feral children, a boy named Bello adopted animal habits, began to walk like monkeys. The story became widespread in 2002, when a boy was found in a boarding school for abandoned children. At first, he often fought, threw various things, ran and jumped. However, over time, he became calmer, but did not learn to talk. In 2005, Bello died for unknown reasons.
Bird boy from Russia
Mowgli syndrome has made itself felt in many countries. Russia was no exception. In 2008, a six-year-old boy was found in Volgograd. Human speech was unfamiliar to him; instead, he found a twitter. He acquired this skill thanks to his parrot friends. The name of the boy was Vanya Yudin.
It should be noted that physically the guy was not injured in any way. However, he was not able to make contact with people. Vanya had bird-like demeanor and used his hands to express emotions. This was due to the fact that for a long time the guy lived without leaving the room in which his mother's birds lived.
Although the boy lived with his mother, according to social workers, she not only did not talk to him, but also treated her like another feathered pet. At the present stage, the guy is in the center of psychological assistance. Specialists are trying to return it from the bird world.
The boy raised by wolves
In 1867, a 6-year-old boy was found by Indian hunters. It happened in a cave where a flock of wolves lived. Dean Sanichar, and that was the name of the foundling, ran on all fours, like animals. They tried to treat the guy, but in those days there were still not only appropriate means, but also effective methods.
At first, the “human cub” ate raw meat, refused dishes, and tried to tear off his clothes. Over time, he began to eat cooked dishes. But I never learned to talk.
Wolf girls
In 1920, in India, Amala and Kamala were discovered in the den of wolves. The first was 1.5 years old, the second was already 8 years old. Most of the life of the girl was brought up by wolves. Although they were together, experts did not consider them sisters, since the age difference was quite significant. They just left in one place at different times.
Wild children were found under rather interesting circumstances. At that time, rumors about two ghostly spirits that lived with the wolves were widespread in the village. Frightened residents came to the priest for help. He, hiding near the cave, waited for the wolves to leave and looked into their lair, where the children who had been raised by the animals were discovered.
According to the priest’s description, the girls were “creatures disgusting from head to toe”, moved exclusively on all fours, and did not have any human signs. Although he did not have experience in adapting such children, he took them with him.
Amala and Kamala slept together, refused clothes, ate only raw meat and often howled. They could no longer walk vertically, as tendons with joints on the arms became shorter as a result of physical deformation. Girls refused to communicate with people, trying to return back to the jungle.
After some time, Amala died, because of which Kamala fell into deep mourning and even cried for the first time. The priest thought that she would die soon, so he began to work more actively on her. As a result, at least a little, but Kamala learned to walk, and even learned a few words. But in 1929, she died due to kidney failure.
Dog-raised children
Madina was discovered by specialists at the age of three. Her education was not done by people, but by dogs. Madina preferred to bark, although she knew some words. The girl after the examination was found to be mentally and physically full. It is for this reason that the dog girl still has a chance to return to a full life in human society.
Another similar story happened in Ukraine in 1991. Parents left their daughter Oksana at the age of three in a kennel, where she grew up for 5 years surrounded by dogs. In this regard, she adopted the behavior of animals, began to bark, growl, moved exclusively on all fours.
The dog girl knew only two words - yes and no. After a course of intensive care, the child nevertheless acquired social and verbal skills, began to talk. But psychological problems have not disappeared. The girl does not know how to express herself, and quite often tries to communicate not by speech, but by showing emotions. Now the girl lives in Odessa in one of the clinics, often spending her time with animals.
Wolf girl
The Lobo girl was first seen in 1845. She, along with a flock of predators, attacked goats near San Felipe. After a year, information about Lobo was confirmed. She was seen when she ate the meat of a dead goat. Residents of the village began to search for a child. It was they who caught the girl and named her Lobo.
But, like many other Mowgli children, the girl tried to break free, which she did. The next time she was seen only after 8 years by the river with wolf cubs. Frightened by people, she picked up animals and hid in the forest. No one else met her.
Wild baby
The girl Roch Pyengeng disappeared with her sister when she was only 8 years old. They found her only after 18 years in 2007, when her parents no longer hoped for it. The wild cub was discovered was a peasant, from whom the girl tried to steal food. Her sister was never found.
We worked a lot with Roch, tried with all our might to return to normal life. After a while, she even began to utter some words. If Rochom wanted to eat, then she pointed to her mouth, often crawled on the ground and refused clothes. The girl was not used to human life, having fled to the forest in 2010. Since then, her whereabouts are unknown.
Locked in the room child
All those interested in children raised by animals know a girl named Jin. Although she did not live with animals, she reminded them of her habits. At the age of 13, she was locked in a room where there was only a chair and a pot tied to it. My father also liked to bind Jin and cover her in a sleeping bag.
The parent of the child abused his power, did not allow the girl to talk, punishing for trying to pronounce something with a stick. Instead of human communication, he growled and barked at her. The head of the family did not allow communication with the child and her mother. For this reason, the girl’s vocabulary included only 20 words.
Jin was discovered in 1970. At first they thought that she was suffering from autism. But then doctors still found that the child was a victim of violence. For a long period, Gene was treated in a children's hospital. But this did not lead to any significant improvements. Although she was able to answer some questions, she still possessed the habits of an animal. The girl kept her hands in front of her all the time, as if they were paws. She did not stop scratching and biting.
Subsequently, the therapist began to engage in her upbringing. Thanks to him, she learned sign language, began to express emotions through drawings and communication. The training lasted for 4 years. Then she went to live with her mother, and then completely got to foster parents, with whom the girl was again unlucky. The new family made the child become dumb. Now the girl lives in Southern California.
Wild peter
Mowgli syndrome, examples of which were described above, also manifested itself in a child living in Germany. In 1724, a hairy boy was discovered by people who moved only on all fours. They were able to catch him with the help of deception. Peter did not speak at all and ate only raw foods. Although later he began to perform simple work, he still did not learn how to communicate. Died wild Peter in old age.
Conclusion
These are far from all examples. You can endlessly list people who have Mowgli syndrome. The psychology of wild foundlings is of great interest to many experts, if only because not a single person brought up by animals has ever been able to return to a normal, full life.