Corrigendum: The girl in question was not found in the company of monkeys, as was reported earlier by The Quint. It has now emerged that the girl is mentally ill and was properly clothed when she was rescued. We sincerely apologise for the erroneous report.
If you grew up in India, towards the close of the 90’s, then you’ve probably watched, or at least heard of ‘Mowgli’ more than once. But who would’ve thought that The Jungle Book, of which Mowgli was the central protagonist, would unveil itself in real life?
Bearing an uncanny resemblance to Mowgli, an eight-year-old girl was found in the jungles of Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, playing with monkeys. When a patrolling team of policemen first spotted her at the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, her outward demeanour was one of animals.
The girl would walk, eat and behave like animals. In fact, she would only eat after dropping the food on the ground. Hesitant in her interaction with humans, she would frequently screech at them, and even push them away if they came close.
But a lot has improved, and she has started walking on two legs. Earlier, she would walk on four, almost like the band of monkeys that officials suspect she was groomed under. She is now admitted to a government hospital in Bahraich, and officials say they are looking for a proper place that could attend to her special needs.
Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim
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