Amala and Kamala, the Feral Children of Madnipore

Kamala, Feral Child of Madnipore

While controversy surrounds the authenticity of the account of Amala and Kamala, two feral girls allegedly found in India in the early 20^th-Century, they remain one of the most famous cases of feral children.

In 1926, Reverend Joseph Amrito Lal Singh published the account of Amala and Kamala, two "wolfish," feral children he claimed to have raised after their wolf mother was shot and killed.  Some stories say the girls were spotted in the district of Madnipore around 1920 and rescued from a wolf's den, while others say Rev. Singh received the girls from someone who had kept them in a cage.  Either way, Rev. Singh claimed he and his wife cared for the girls who ate raw meat from a bowl, and refused to wear clothes.

There are dozens of accounts of feral children throughout history, going at least as far back as the 17^th-Century.  Daniel, the Andes Goat Boy, was found in the Peruvian Andes in 1990.  It is said that he had been raised by goats for four years, and walked on all fours.  "Djumba" was discovered in 1962 by Russian oil explorers, and was still crawling on all fours and biting when angered in 1991.  Russians once again discovered a feral "Mowgli" boy in 2007.

Amala, rescued at 18 months, died at age three.  Kamala was reported to have developed a growing vocabulary of about 50 words at the time of her unexpected death in 1929.  Later investigators labeled the account a hoax, saying pictures of girls acting as feral children had been staged, and Rev. Singh's "diary" forged after Amala and Kamala's deaths.  But accounts state the girls had elongated jaws and canines, and their eyes shone in the dark like those of cats.

Others have posited that the feral children of Madnipore, Amala and Kamala, may have been autistic.

© The Weirding, 2018

Cambodian 'Jungle Woman' Flees Society

29-year-old Rochom P'ngieng disappeared into the Cambodian jungle in 1989 as a young girl. In 2007, she was "rediscovered" when she emerged from the thick jungle. She was reunited with her family, but failed to adjust to modern society. Rochom P'ngieng has now fled back into the jungle.

Sadly, Rochom never learned either of the local languages, refused to wear clothes, continued to crawl rather than walk, and has attempted to escape many times. She grunted and made animal noises to communicate. Her father says she helped the family pick vegetables the day before, then simply took off her clothes and ran back into the jungle without saying anything to anyone.

Mystic beliefs still hold sway in Cambodia. Sal Lou, her policeman father, blames "forest spirits" and has hired a fortune-teller to help find her. Lou is saving-up to afford an offering of one wild ox, one pig, one chicken, and four jugs of wine, which the mystic says will reunite him with his daughter. Several people claim to have seen her in the company of a naked man who carries a sword - the man is believed to be a "forest spirit."

Rochom's story has gripped the country of Cambodia, where she is called "half-animal girl." She disappeared with her sister over 20 years ago, but her sister has never been found. Her parents identified her by a scar on her arm, but refused a DNA test. Some think she was raised in captivity, as they do not believe an eight-year-old girl could survive in the Cambodian jungle.

34 pro-Khmer Rouge tribesmen who had been hiding in the jungle since 1979 (when the regime fell) emerged from the jungle in 2004.

The original story of Rochom's rediscovery was on the other server and has since been lost.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Feral Child Found in Russian Home

A three-year old girl who walks on all fours, gnaws on bones, and growls at those who come too close to her has been found in a Russian home. Authorities say the girl was being raised by dogs in the home after being neglected by her alcoholic mother.

Madina did not get along with other children; she fought everyone and the other kids refused to play with her. So she took-up with the dogs. Her mother would eat at the table and let Madina eat on the floor with them. Madina slept with them in the winter when it got cold. Now, she knows only two words: "yes" and "no."

Social workers who took the girl from the home said she was mentally and physically fit, just neglected.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Baby's Best Friend

An Argentinian baby abandoned in a field by its underage mother was found by a dog's owner amidst its litter.

La China, an eight-year old dog, discovered the baby sometime ago and somehow moved it. She placed it amongst her litter of pups and her owner heard it crying. He discovered it covered lightly with a rag.

The baby has been placed in the care of authorities and La China has become a celebrity. But her owner says she is not taking to fame well and he fears she has stopped eating.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008