Real Life Mowgli? Woman 'Raised By Dogs' Used To Walk On All Fours, Barked To Talk
The story of Tarzan and Mowgli, fictional characters raised by wild animals in the jungle, has long captured the imagination of readers. While such tales seem far-fetched, there have been documented cases where real-life children have been raised by animals.
Lived with dogs for 5 years at the age 3
One such extraordinary case is that of Oxana Malaya from Ukraine, who claims to have spent her childhood living among dogs.According to the New York Post, Oxana's life took a dramatic turn at the age of 3 when her alcoholic parents abandoned her outside in the cold.
Seeking warmth and shelter, she followed her pet dog into its kennel and remained there for nearly five years.?During this time, Oxana adopted animal-like behaviors, including barking, growling, and walking on all fours.
Reflecting on her unusual upbringing, Oxana stated, "Mom had too many kids; we didn't have enough beds. So I crawled to the dog and started living with her." She recounted making a home for herself inside the kennel and living alongside the dog as her companion for the next five years.
She would lick herself clean, bark to communicate
Oxana described how the dog and other neighborhood strays treated her as one of their own. Communication between Oxana and the dogs consisted of barking and repeating sounds, forming their unique means of interaction.
She even adapted her grooming habits, licking herself clean, and scavenged for food like the dogs, rummaging through garbage bins and consuming raw meat.
Anna Chalaya, the director of the special care institution where Oxana currently resides, described her behavior, stating, "She was more like a little dog than a human child."
Oxana exhibited canine-like actions such as showing her tongue when seeing water and eating without using her hands.
At the age of 9, Ukrainian authorities were alerted to Oxana's situation, prompting efforts to rescue her.?However, the rescue mission was met with resistance from the protective dogs guarding Oxana.
It took the officials' distraction with food to successfully remove her from the kennel and place her into foster care.
Despite being taken into a foster home and receiving rehabilitation to learn basic human skills, Oxana retained some of her canine behaviors. Even into adulthood, experts determined that she had the mental capacity of a 6-year-old.
Child psychologist Lyn Fry commented on Oxana's case, expressing doubts about her ability to acquire language and other essential skills. "If you haven't got language by about [age] 5, you're probably not going to get language at all," Fry explained
?Oxana's story is just one of approximately 100 known feral cases throughout history, as reported by the Post. In the early 2000s, she was reunited with both her mother and father, marking a significant chapter in her ongoing journey of rehabilitation and integration into society.
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