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First pictures of the 'bird boy' who was raised as a pet and can only communicate by
chirping
'Bird boy': The Russian boy was treated like another pet by his mother
A seven-year-old boy who can only communicate by chirping after his mother raised him as a pet
bird has been rescued by Russian care-workers.
Reports in Russian media claim the child, suffering from "Mowgli syndrome", was found in a
tiny two-room apartment that appeared to double as an aviary, filled with cages containing
dozens of birds, bird feed and bird droppings.
Social worker Galina Volskaya, who helped rescue the "bird-boy" from his home in Kirovsky,
Volgograd, told Russian newspaper Pravda that he was treated like another pet by his 31-year-old
mother.
Because she never spoke to him, Ms Volskaya explained, the boy's only communication was with
the birds he was surrounded by.
"When you start talking to him," she said, "he chirps."
Russian authorities say the child was not physically harmed but is suffering from "Mowgli
syndrome", named after the Jungle Book character raised by wild animals, and cannot engage in
any normal human communication.
Pravda reported: "(His mother) had her own domestic birds and fed wild ones. (She) neither beat
him nor left him without food. She just never talked to him. It was all the birds that
communicated with the boy and taught him birds' language.
"He just chirps and when realising that he is not understood, starts to wave hands in the way
birds winnow wings."
The boy is temporarily living in an asylum, but soon will be transferred to a centre of
psychological care, according to reports.
His mother signed an abdication form to release him into care after he was discovered last week.
Though admittedly unusual, the case is not without precedent.
In February 2006, social workers took three weeks to catch a four-year-old "wolf-boy"
discovered living on the streets with a pack of stray dogs and cats in the Stavropol region of
southern Russia. Arthur Zverev barked and ran on all fours.
And in January 2007, a Cambodian woman named Rochom P'ngieng was found wandering
naked in the jungle, unable to speak after living among animals since she disappeared from home
aged eight.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-521853/First-pictures-bird-boy-raised-pet-

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Vanya Yudin: The Russian Bird Boy

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Abandoned and raised by a she-wolf, the fabled founders of Rome and twin brothers Romulus
and Remus, are the best known case of the phenomenon feral children. While their story is
ficticious and is grounded within legend, there have been several cases of feral children across
the globe having been produced through a variety of different scenarios.
Feral children are human children who from a young age have experienced animals as their
primary form of contact, resulting in the adoption of animalistic behaviour and minimal to no
development of social and language skills. The most recent case, 2008, exhibiting this
phenomenon follows the story of Vanya Yudin, a Russian boy, who had been neglected by his
mother and spent the first seven years of his life alongside his mothers pet birds. Vanya had
been kept in an apartment filled with bird cages housing dozens of birds and experienced very
little interaction with his caregiver whom did not speak to him, only treating him as if he was one
of her pets. Socials workers explain that upon discovering Vanya, he exhibited bird-like
behaviour, chirping instead of speaking, and flapping his arms and hands as if he had wings.
Although feral children are created from lack of interaction with human beings, and potentially
experiencing that only of animals, it is the neglect and irresponsibility of the caregivers that
produce such outcomes.
Children abandoned in such situations are left helpless and need to rely on other living species
around them to exhibit behaviour that will help ensure their survival. Although primarily used to
explain the social behaviour of criminals and deviants, the most prevalent sociological theory to
assist in explaining this phenomenon is the Social Learning Theory. This theory explains
identities as a response to various social stimuli. In the case of Vanya Yudin, the only social
stimuli he received was from the birds he shared the two room apartment with. In addition what
little interaction he had with his mother was when he was being treated as a pet; the same way
the birds were being treated. Naturally, Vanya would create a bird-like identity in order to
conform and be accepted; the birds feeling comfortable about him.
In lecture, Professor ONeill brought up the concept of children at risk, and are defined as such
due to their risk of developing poor physical, mental or social health outcomes. Vanya falls under
this category because of the situation his mother had placed him in. Although when Vanya was
found, his physical wellbeing was fine, as he was well fed and was not subjected to any physical
abuse, the boy had suffered from major mental and social health issues, having thought he was a
part of the avian society as well as the inability to communicate with other human beings.
The outcomes experienced by this boy are similar to those of a street child; a child who has been
abandoned by their family or society and is surviving on their own or with other children on the
street. In many cases, street children are exposed to circumstances that either forces them onto
the street, or they make the conscious decision to relocate there themselves. As a generalization,
many children are unloved, and abandoned by society, yet show extreme amounts of resilience
and drive for survival, doing what they can to create community and meet their necessary living
requirements. Although Vanya was not abandoned on the street, he did find himself unloved and
abandoned by his caregiver and turned to the only society available to him. Vayna showed
resilience, as defined as a persons competency and ability to adapt and develop within their
environment. Vanya was not provided with the necessary skills to survive, but through
observational learning, Vanya was able to learn how to eat and act..
Overall, feral children are a phenomenon well known, but unrecognized by society, and are the
outcome of human negligence and inability to appropriately support youth through major
developmental stages of their lives. However, through resilience, these children are able to adapt
to their environment through imitation and become a part of animal societies in which human
beings are not naturally involved.
If you would like to learn more about cases about feral children, check out these links:
http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-feral-children.php
http://www.erbzine.com/mag39/3914.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie_(feral_child)

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First pictures of the 'bird boy' who was raised as a pet and can only communicate by

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-521853/First-pictures-bird-boy-raised-pet-

Vanya Yudin: The Russian Bird Boy

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