Feral Children – The Twisted Tale of Survival

The Truth Behind Feral Children and What We Know About Them

A child who had little to no intentional or unintentional human contact as a child is referred to as a feral child or a wild child. Despite how little is known about them, many psychologists, sociologists, and other researchers have always been interested in the topic of feral children. The idea of feral children and the questions it raises about society are often illustrated through fairy tales and myths.

Tarzan is a twisted tale of the survival of a small orphan who was raised by apes since he was a child. Tarzan is portrayed as being extremely intelligent and having no trouble communicating with humans in multiple languages; English, French, Arabic, Greek, etc. He can learn languages in a matter of days despite having little human interaction. On top of that, he appears to be able to move in and out of the human world with ease. We can hypothesize that the writers created an idealized version of feral children that contrasts negatively with the true reality of feral children.

The first and most documented case of a feral child is that of “John the Liege.” He had fled from his village when he was 5 and was found sixteen years later. According to researchers, he had “forgotten the use of all language”[1] and even though he was eventually able to reintegrate into society, his previous sharp senses had dulled. 

Peter the Wild Boy, named by famous physician John Arbuthnot, is another one of the earliest cases of a feral child. It has been speculated that he was abandoned because he suffered from a rare neurological disorder – Pitt-Hopkins syndrome marked by intellectual disability and developmental delays. He was found in 1725 and fascinated the people of London and was used to entertain the royal guests. There were numerous attempts to civilize him, but they were unsuccessful as he stuck to his wild habits. As a result, he was exiled to the countryside, where he eventually died in 1785, 60 years later.

Since then, there have been many reported cases of feral children, many turning out to be a hoax. 

Reference:

1. Andrews, E. (2015). 6 Famous Wild Children from History. [online] HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/6-famous-wild-children-from-history [Accessed 3 Dec. 2022].

Genie: The Girl We Let Down

An infamous case of parental neglect is Genie. Genie is the pseudonym for an American child born to deranged parents. Her father was an alcoholic with temper issues and forbade anyone from caring for Genie. Her mother was also a victim of abuse and while she also neglected Genie, she would occasionally feed her. From the age of 20 months to 13 years, Genie was kept in a strait jacket, immobilizing her limbs, or strapped to a child’s toilet.

Genie was tormented and because she had no human interaction, she never developed the ability to speak a language and would only communicate through grunting and moaning. Even then, if she made the slightest noise, her father would beat her with a baseball bat as he hated noise. She was accidentally discovered in November 1970 and was quickly thrust into the spotlight with many scientists taking an interest in her. She was severely malnourished and was the size of a six-year-old, weighing a shocking 26 kg. Genie suffered from privation (never having formed an attachment with a caregiver) which caused her severe anxiety and serious emotional and social issues.

Due to her severe abuse, her brain was unable to develop properly. Her brain was discovered to be the size of a three-year-old. The prefrontal regions (responsible for cognitive functions), left and right hemispheres (control muscle and heuristic thinking), and Broca’s area (associated with language ability) were all affected. 

Genie caught the attention of eminent scholar Jay Shurley, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences. Genie wasn’t autistic but had suffered a high level of emotional disturbance. Over time, scientists were able to help improve her condition. She started expressing herself nonverbally and gradually began to learn to dress and go to the bathroom voluntarily.

The extent of her linguistic development was unknown to linguists. She was deemed to be selectively mute and had a repertoire of 15 to 20 words. She never advanced beyond being able to speak simple phrases. Her inability to fully master a first language reveals the existence of a critical period, a crucial window for language learning.

She was eventually placed into a foster home that unfortunately mistreated her when she threw up. Sadly, she became scared to ever talk again in fear of throwing up again and lost all her progress as a result. Genie is now residing in an undisclosed private facility, in the state of California for mentally underdeveloped adults.

Oxana Malaya: The Girl Raised by Dogs

The Ukrainian woman dubbed ‘the feral child’ is Oxana Oleksandrivna Malaya. She was born to alcoholic parents who neglected her. One night, 3-year-old Oxana Malaya was locked out of her house and all alone in the cold she instinctively cuddled up to her dog Nadia. The longer Oxana spent in the dog kennel, the more dog-like characteristics she picked up on and slowly, psychologically became a dog. She would survive by eating the scraps left by the canines.

Oxana would bark to communicate because of the limited vocabulary she had acquired during the first three years of her life. Thus, when she was discovered in 1991, five years later, it was challenging for the local law enforcement to ‘capture’ her. The innocent 8-year-old girl, who lacked basic skills, barked loudly, crawled around on all fours, slept on the floor, ate, and groomed herself like a dog.

She was transferred to a foster home for mentally disabled children where she underwent years of specialized therapy. She was said to have the mental capacity of a 6-year-old. She eventually learned how to control her dog-like behaviours thanks to the therapy, which also taught her how to walk correctly, eat correctly, and communicate.

Oxana, as of now, is 39 years old and lives at an adult care facility, spending her days taking care of farm animals. In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, she stated “When I feel lonely, I find myself doing anything, I crawl on all fours. This is how lonely I feel”. This brings up the nature vs. nurture debate.

The nature vs nurture debate is one of the greatest ongoing debates argued worldwide. The argument that behaviour is learned and that we learn everything through the experiences we have in our external surroundings is known as the nurture argument. On the other hand, nature believes that genes play a significant role and that all of our traits and behaviours are hard-wired into our brains from birth.

Oxana’s case supports the nurture side of the debate as with time, she was able to act like a dog, and after consistent therapy, she was eventually able to learn to act ‘humanly’ again. No human being can rely entirely on one, nature or nurture, instead, we are a combination of everything that we are born with and everything that we learn as we progress through life. In this case, we can conclude that while nature plays an important role in how we develop, nurture has a bigger hand in determining how we turn out.

Amala and Kamala: The Wolf Sisters Controversy

The case of Amala and Kamala is one of the most famous cases of feral children. Amala (18 months) and Kamala (8 years) were rescued from a wolves’ den in 1920 in Bengal, India. Both girls had been living with a female wolf and her pack, in order to rescue the girls, the female wolf had to be shot with multiple arrows due to her protective nature. The sisters were described as being ‘wolfish’ in appearance. They walked on all fours and as a result, developed severe calluses. They would try to bite people, wouldn’t want to get dressed, would pant with their tongues out – like a Canis lupus, and were described as nocturnal. Additionally, they demonstrated sharper hearing and a stronger sense of smell.

The little girls received treatment at an orphanage in Midnapore, India. In 1921, Amala, unfortunately, died a year later of a kidney infection. It was reported that Kamala “came to Amala several times and tried to wake her up by touching her hand and even trying to drag her out of bed… there was something, some change in Amala, which Kamala could understand, and she seemed to conclude that Amala was dead, and two teardrops fell from her eyes” [1].

Kamala became friendlier after that. Kamala gradually made progress, grew accustomed to being among people and learned how to stand up straight. After 5 years at the orphanage, Kamala was able to understand up to 50 words and use them appropriately. Kamala was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, it’s a rare genetic neurological and developmental disorder that affects the way the brain develops. Kamala passed away from tuberculosis in 1929.

Reverend Joseph Amrito Lal Singh stated that the two girls were given to him by a man who lived near the jungle. Later, this statement was changed and Singh said he found the two girls himself. This raised a lot of concerns, and many people speculated if this story was a hoax to raise funds for his charities.

Serge Aroles criticized the story of these two girls in his book “L’enigme des enfants-loup” (Engima of the wolf-Children). He dissected the physical evidence to show that the photographs of the girls were taken after they had passed away and were thus fraudulent. Singh’s fabricated recordings of the girls’ behaviours and appearances were refuted by the orphanage’s medical director. Additionally, there was proof—witness accounts—that Singh would beat Kamala to make her behave as per his descriptions in public. These criticisms have been supported by other scholars around the world.

Reference:

1. Smith, L. (2017). After living in a wolf den, these two Indian sisters were never able to acclimate to society. [online] Medium. Available at: https://timeline.com/after-living-in-wolf-den-these-two-indian-sisters-were-never-able-to-acclimate-to-society-d2aa339f3a40 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2022].

John Ssebunya: Surviving With the Monkeys

This Ugandan boy’s journey began in 1989 when he was around four years old (his actual age was never confirmed). He ran into the woods after seeing his alcoholic father kill his mother, a decision that might have only saved him, as his father was eventually found hanged.

For the first several days, John was all by himself in the jungle, until a troop of monkeys approached him and over time, he slowly learned how to survive as a monkey. When John was discovered in 1991, he protested by throwing sticks with the monkeys at the rescuers. Eventually, he was captured and transferred to a nearby community. In the jungle, John mostly consumed nuts, sweet potatoes, and cassava. He became ill for three days after eating a hot dinner in the village and was later determined to have a serious case of intestinal worms, found to be nearly half a meter long.

He had a lot of hair when he was discovered, making it difficult to identify him as a human. The only reason, Millie – the village girl who first saw John – was able to differentiate John from the rest of his troop was because of his lack of a tail. His knees had white calluses from walking on them, and his nails were overgrown and curled. His caretakers believed he would’ve passed away had he stayed with the monkeys any longer.

In the YouTube video “Feral children and a little neurology”[1], posted by “University of California Television (UCTV)”, the speaker who worked with John Ssebunya worked to figure out who raised him in the chaparral. “He picked out gorillas. Unhappily, there are no gorillas in that part of Uganda… he picked out vervet monkeys”. This was confirmed as John’s behaviours matched those of the vervet monkeys.

Despite having a mental disability like oligophrenia, John was gradually able to pick up language again. John became a terrific athlete as a result of his time spent living in the wilderness. He ran a marathon in 1999, and in 2003, he served as the squad captain for Uganda’s Special Olympics soccer team. He also joined the Pearl of Africa children’s chorus because of his famed voice after it was recognized that he had a wonderful voice.

Anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota describes John Ssebunya’s story as a “rare instance of a ‘successful’ adaptation”[2].

Reference:

1. www.youtube.com. (2019). Feral Children and a Little Neurology. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKaS1RdAfrg&t=508s [Accessed 7 Dec. 2022].
2. Kumar, A. (2016). After Mowgli, meet Tarzan, the other feral child who emerged from the jungle. [online] Scroll.in. Available at: https://scroll.in/reel/806761/after-mowgli-meet-tarzan-the-other-feral-child-who-emerged-from-the-jungle [Accessed 7 Dec. 2022].