A real-life Mowgli has been found in southern Siberia.
The 20-year-old boy who has now been nicknamed the "Siberian Mowgli," giving a nod to Rudyard Kipling's main character in "The Jungle Book," was discovered living in the forest. He's apparently been dwelling in a hut made of mud near the town of Belokurikha for the past 16 years.
According to the Russian officials who found him living in the rural spot, he was brought there by his parents in 1997 when they decided to renounce conventional ways of life for good.
His parents reportedly fled the compound in May, according to Russia Today, leaving young Mowgli to take care of himself alone.
"He has no education, no social skills and no ideas about the world beyond the forest," said Belokurikha prosecutor Roman Fomin.
But the young man can apparently speak and understand basic English, for his family used a single dictionary that they brought with them when they abandoned society.
"I'm living well, thank you," 20-year-old Siberian Mowgli told the Siberian Times during an interview. "We are living well. This is the reality we have that we live here, and it's quite a good reality."
Mowgli was found after a local woman told local authorities that she was worried he wouldn't live through the harsh Siberian winter alone.
The young man did not have identification or documentation on him to grant him support from the state, but Russian courts stated they'd give him an ID first, then administer aid.
