The Boy Who Was Raised by African Monkeys

Tarzan, Mowgli – you know them all-too well on the big screen. But what about the real stories of children raised by animals? Are they just as adventurous and romantic as the movies show? The short answer is, no, not even close…
In 1991, a villager in Uganda discovered a child who seemed very odd. In fact, it was even difficult to tell that it was a boy she’d found because the child had long hair all over his body. His knees were white and callused, and his fingernails were long and curled. There were plenty of clues, but how could this simple villager know that she’d stumbled upon one of the rarest and most bizarre phenomena: feral children…
TIMESTAMPS:
What are feral children? 1:11
Living in the jungle 1:55
Teaching Ssebunya how to be human 3:24
Did he speak monkey language?! 5:08
Sport and singing 6:16
What Ssebunya says about his life 7:45
#kids #wildness #brightside
SUMMARY:
- A feral child, or what some refer to as a wild child, is a boy or girl who lived without any human contact for some time in their early formative years.
- They often walk on all fours like their adoptive animal family, and they sometimes even look more like them!
- His name would be John Ssebunya. When he was eventually able to speak, experts came to know of his story. Apparently, he’d run away from an unstable home when he was just a toddler.
- He was adopted by the monkeys, and they’d take care of him for the next 3 years.
- They taught him how to survive by climbing trees and, of course, how to find food. He certainly was loved by the primates.
- In the end, tearing the boy away from his jungle home likely ended up saving his life. And that’s because not long after they found him, they discovered that he had some dangerous parasites in his gut!
- The very first-time humans tried to communicate with him, the boy only responded through screaming and biting, which scared most of them away.
- When scientists started studying this case even further, they found that, despite his limited English, Ssebunya seemed to be fluent when communicating with the monkeys that had adopted him!
- John did have some delays in his mental development. But even with that, he was able to achieve so much despite it all!
- His caretakers couldn’t help but notice that he’s in incredible physical shape and quite a good runner. With the help of trainers, he competed in the Special Olympics not once but twice!
- Aside from being good at sports, he’s also gifted with a beautiful singing voice.
- Despite his traumatic childhood, years of living completely isolated from society with all its safety and conveniences, and the long difficult road to rehabilitation, Ssebunya is still a kind man with a good heart.
- In a 2013 interview, Ssebunya said that he’s living peacefully in his house and owns a couple of cows. He told the interviewer that he wanted to settle down, have kids, and start a family of his own.
Music by Epidemic Sound
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