topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2130.24 0.51
DAX 6387.02 0.74
IBEX 30 6477.8 -1.00
CAC 40 3066.39 0.61
FTSE 100 5390.4 0.73
AEX 295.21 0.84
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13151.9 -0.02
TSX Composite 11576.47 0.09
ASX 4120.2 0.96
Hang seng 18800.99 0.47
Straits Times 2787.55 0.53
ISEQ 20 503.13 0.44
You are here: Home News European News Russian 'Jungle Book' girl grew up among animals

European News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


29/05/2009Russian 'Jungle Book' girl grew up among animals

The five-year-old girl’s father may face child abuse charges as his daughter who grew up in a filthy apartment with cats and dogs behaves and eat like one.

Moscow – Russian police have detained a father who brought up his five-year-old daughter along with dogs and cats in a flat in Siberia so that she spoke and ate like an animal, reports said Thursday.

"The father was detained, questioned and released. It is now being decided whether to open a criminal investigation for neglecting duties in the bringing up of a child," a local police source told RIA Novosti news agency.

The authorities said the day earlier the girl, who was not allowed outside, had been found in a filthy apartment living with cats and several dogs, sparking comparisons with the character Mowgli from the "Jungle Book".

Television pictures showed the dilapidated apartment where the girl – named only as Natasha – lived on the outskirts of the Siberian city of Chita.

The battered door of the flat had a sign reading "Warning: She Bites", presumably referring to one of the dogs.

The source told the agency that police had heard different versions of events from the father and the mother, who went to the authorities herself on Wednesday.

"The mother says that the father stole the girl from her. The father said that the grandmother of his wife suggested he bring up the girl himself, which he did."

Police dubbed the girl "Mowgli" after the character who grew up among wolves in the children's book by the Anglo-Indian writer Rudyard Kipling.

Russian child protection officers have taken the girl into care at a children's rehabilitation centre called Nadezhda (Hope).

The Interfax news agency quoted a source at the centre as saying she was already adapting to her new environment.

"She only behaves like a cat or dog from time to time. She can show how to put a pan on a stove and turn on the gas. You shouldn't call her 'Mowgli'," the source said.

But the source added that the girl, who appears to have had more contact with animals than humans, could still not talk.

In March, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev urged action on child abuse, saying 760,000 children were living in "socially hazardous conditions".

AFP / Expatica


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

Technology in Spain

Sat phones/internet links

English in Spain

What is the best travel insurance cover to Spain?

American in Spain

U.S. citizens, plan to vote in 2012? Did you know...

Relocation to Spain

thinking of moving to madrid

Jobs in Spain

Job Agencies or how to find work.

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Expatica's Getting Started section will provide practical information on how you can open a bank account, exchange your driving licence, improve your Spanish, and more.

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Here's a guide to an extensive list of groups and clubs in Madrid for expats, from sports groups to social and family gatherings.

Groups and Clubs around Spain

Groups and Clubs around Spain

A brief introduction to our Tax section for Spain, from help with inheritance tax to accounting advice.

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in Spain, from what to ask the experts to opening a Spanish bank account.