[Update] - Rescuers deny that the girl Mowgli of Uttar Pradesh was brought up by monkeys. The new theory suggests that the girl suffers from mental illness and was abandoned by her parents
Humans have a varied way of adapting and reacting to the events happening in their environment, though not all outcomes turn out well.
Fantastical stories and their respective Disney adaptations seem to have a big impact on kids that many end up "wanting" to be just like the hero or heroine of the stories. For one 8-year-old girl found in a forest in India, however, her life mimicked two Disney classics but it was not by choice.
An Unexpected Rescue
Sub-inspector Suresh Yadav was on a routine patrol in the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradash two months ago when he spotted a girl in the forest. Concerned over her well-being, Yadav approached the child but a troop of monkeys and the girl screeched at the officer during the attempted rescue.
The girl was successfully rescued from the monkeys and brought to the district hospital where she has been staying these past two months. However, local police revealed on April 6 that there was no evidence of the girl having been rescued from the monkeys because she was actually living with them as a part of the troop. Police suspect the girl was abandoned in the forest by her own family.
Tarzan Girl
The media has reported about "Mowgli 2.0" but from the way the girl's situation and behavior were described, she seems to be more like a young Tarzan since she lived with primates instead of a wolf pack.
Dr. DK Singh, chief medical superintendent of the Bahraich District Hospital, confirms that the girl literally behaves like an animal so they are having a hard time taking care of her.
"The girl [...] eats and walks like animals, and runs away on seeing humans [...] She has marks on her skin, looks like she has lived with animals for quite some time," Singh said.
Singh also said that after two months of being cared for, the girl is finally healthier and her overall condition has improved, but she shows signs of being mentally retarded.
What has not changed, however, are the girl's behavior and the huge language barrier. This is because the girl does not know a word of any human language, but she screeches like monkeys instead. She also still eats directly with her mouth and frequently walks on both hands and legs - like a quadruped - despite being taught how to walk on her two legs.
The child remains unidentified until now and the hospital confessed that it is already difficult for them to keep taking care of her. Nongovernmental organizations have reportedly shunned the girl because of her wild behavior.
