Legends about Rome’s founders, Romulus and Remus, claim they were rescued from the Tiber after a perilous wake of danger and nursed by a she-wolf. Are these tales truth or myth? Some histories treat them as legendary, while others see a kernel of historical memory in the mythic tale. (Citation: scholarly debates on early Rome)
1799. A boy was found roaming the Pyrenees wilderness. Abandoned by his family, he reportedly grew up among animals and walked on his hands, adapting to a life in which human norms seemed distant. (Citation: historical compilations of feral child cases)
1070. In Portugal, a girl was discovered in a chicken coop. Her mother, affected by severe mental illness, kept her close to the fowl, flapping arms as if wings when she was found. The child showed limited speech at that time. (Citation: case records cited in behavioral studies)
1980. In Uganda, John Ssebunya fled after witnessing a father’s violence and was taken in by a vervet monkey troop. The bond formed with the monkeys allowed him to survive a painful period before human intervention occurred. (Citation: anthropological field notes)
2004. Siberia witnessed a boy who had been raised by a pack of wild dogs. He displayed primal behaviors, smelling food before eating, licking water to drink, and reacting with growls when approached. (Citation: wildlife anthropology reports)
2007. Russian railway workers found a family of wolves and a ten-year-old boy. He reportedly possessed sharp teeth and claw-like nails and escaped hospital care after a few days, and authorities suspected he had returned to life among wolves. (Citation: investigative chronologies)
2008. In Argentina, police located a small boy living among a stray cat colony. His primary mode of communication was meowing, reflecting a remarkable adaptation to feline-like sounds. (Citation: behavioral case series)
2008. Russia reported a seven-year-old boy living in a house surrounded by birds. His mother, with serious mental illness, treated him as if he could fly, and he responded with squeaks and arm movements. The situation highlighted ongoing mental health challenges. (Citation: clinical observations)
2009. Siberia documented a five-year-old girl who lived in a backyard with a pack of dogs. She walked on all fours, drank with her tongue, and communicated through barking. (Citation: regional welfare reports)
2012. In Rostov, Russia, a wild boy was found living in a barn with goats while his family slept indoors. He avoided bed until late into his upbringing, a reminder of the stark separation between human and animal environments. (Citation: regional archives)
These entries are among thousands of accounts that have circulated over time. They remind readers that human development can be profoundly shaped by early environments, and they invite reflection on what it means to be civilized in society.