| |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Real-life
Mowgli kept Alive by Cats
By Chris Hastings
December 20th, 2008
A one-year-old boy has been found living rough on the streets, apparently
being kept alive by cats.
The boy, whose ordeal mirrors that of the character Mowgli from Rudyard
Kipling The Jungle Book, was discovered by police in Misiones, in Argentina,
surrounded by eight wild cats.
Doctors believe the animals snuggled up with him during freezing nights
which would otherwise have killed him.
The boy was seen eating scraps foraged by the animals while they licked
him, it has been claimed.
Policewoman Alicia Lorena Lindgvist discovered the child by a canal in
the Christ King district of the city.
She said: "I was walking and noticed a gang of cats sitting very close
together. It is unusual to see so many like that so I went for a closer
look and that's where I saw him. The boy was lying at the bottom of a gutter.
There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really
dirty.
" When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They
were keeping the boy warm while he slept."
The officer, who noticed scraps of food near the boy, added: "The
cats knew he was fragile and needed protecting."
Police have found the boy's father who is homeless and said he had lost
the boy several days ago while out collecting cardboard to sell. He told
officers cats had always been protective of his son.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Animal Welfare, which deals with feral cats
and strays in Berkshire, said: "They would have viewed the baby like
a big hot water bottle. Cats will cuddle up to anything to keep warm, even
dogs.
He added: "In our experience of cat colonies when a mother has a litter,
all the other cats will go and fetch food. The baby could have been feeding
off the scraps they brought. Cats in Argentina stay in large packs to survive
- much more than cats over here."
In the Jungle Book, Mowgli is raised in the Indian Jungle by wolves.
|
|
The Infinite Cat Project
Presented by Mike Stanfill, Private Hand
Illustration,
Flash Animation,
Web Design
www.privatehand.com
|
