Story of Indian Girl Raised by Monkeys Actually Much Sadder

Authorities say the girl, who is disabled, was abandoned by her family
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 8, 2017 9:55 AM CDT
Indian Girl Found in Forest Actually Not Raised by Monkeys
Authorities now say a young Indian girl found in the forest in January was not raised by monkeys but instead abandoned by her family because she is mentally and physically disabled.   (KK Productions, via AP)

A young girl raised by monkeys in the forests of India. Too strange to be true? Apparently yes. Earlier this week, stories of the "Mowgli Girl" spread across the world. Rangers claimed they found the girl—about 8 years old, naked, crawling on all fours, and screeching—living with monkeys deep in a forest in January. Authorities and doctors now say the girl is mentally and physically disabled and had likely been abandoned in the forest by her family at most a few days before she was found, the Guardian reports.

The girl, who was actually found on the side of a road in the forest, has been improving quickly in the hospital—a sign she had been living with humans until recently. The Independent reports she is now walking and standing upright and eating solid food. While she's still unable to speak, doctors say she understands what they're saying to her. Meanwhile, authorities say it's impossible she could have been in the forest for long without being spotted. Staff regularly patrols the area, and there are hundreds of cameras set up to track wildlife—not to mention the thousands of visitors roaming the area every year, according to the India Times. Police are looking for the girl's family. She is being transferred to a children's home Saturday. (More monkeys stories.)

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