Have you ever seen The Jungle Book? A little boy, Mowgli, is abandoned as a baby and raised by wolves. That’s not a story you hear every day, but to our surprise, a Ukrainian girl defied the odds.
60 Minutes Australia shared a video about a little girl who was neglected and abandoned by her parents. She then took comfort in the farmyard kennels with dogs. The kennels became her home, and the dogs became her family for six years.
These dogs fed the little girl and protected her, you could even say they truly loved her. Being raised by dogs caused Oxana Malaya to start acting like her furry family. 60 Minutes Australia explained, “It’s a remarkable case, one that startled the world of science.”
Oxana’s parents were alcoholics, and one night they were on a binger and left their young daughter outside in the cold. Looking for a warm home, Oxana crawled into the farm kennel and curled up with the dogs.
From 3 to 8 years old, Oxana’s home was in the kennel with the dogs. When she was finally discovered, it was obvious that her way of life had seriously impacted her development.
She would bark like a dog, pant with her tongue out, lick her arms and legs, and even run on her hands and knees, resembling the family she knew and loved.
Oxana is now 22 and lives in a special care home. She is now able to speak and communicate some feelings. Her growth in communication has come a long way since she first arrived at the home.
Oxana’s old habits do surface at times of loneliness. She says, “When I feel lonely, I find myself doing anything I can on all fours. This is how lonely I am. Because I have nobody, I spend my time with dogs. I go for walks and do anything I want to. Nobody notices that I crawl on all fours.”
Cognitive tests done on Oxana have shown that she has the mental age of a 5- or 6-year-old. Her lack of human interaction over the years caused her to miss the chance to learn basic human skills.
To find out more about Oxana’s extraordinary life, click the video!
