Four-Year-Old Alone In Jungle Replaces Family For Primates

Bad Situation At Home

The man was a raging alcoholic and infected Ivan’s mom with his vice. Things got to a point where they were barely taking care of Ivan, who, at four years of age, came in and out of the house and roamed the streets as he pleased.

Until one day, the kid made a decision that for the better or the worse, would change his life forever.

He Left

One morning, he got up, walked out the door, went down his block’s stairs, started walking on the street, and never came back. That would be the last time he’d see his mother.

He didn’t know it yet, but he was about to begin an adventure that would last for years and shape his personality forever.

Street Life

He walked for the whole day. Eventually, he got tired and slept between some cardboard boxes he found in a corner. The next day, he ate some bread some bakery had thrown away the evening before.

He kept wandering around the following day. He got himself a raggedy backpack and a rug someone had thrown away. That was his life for the next few days until something happened.

New Friends

One day, Ivan ran into a pack of stray dogs. He didn’t know it yet, but they were about to become his new family.

From the first moment, one of the dogs threw a glance in Ivan’s direction. Then, he barked at him. It wasn’t a hostile bark, but more like a greeting. Then, something happened that was the beginning of Ivan’s new life.

Sharing

Ivan had some spare food he had retrieved from a trash can that same day. He took some in hand and showed it to the dogs. He had been alone for so long that he would appreciate any kind of company, even if it wasn’t human.

The dog that barked at him was the first to come close. He ate the food Ivan was offering, and soon the rest of the pack followed.

Ivan’s New Family

The dogs came close to Ivan and never left his side after that. From then on, everywhere Ivan went, he was in the company of the pack of dogs.

Ivan kept taking or retrieving food from anywhere he could and then shared it with the dogs. Eventually, he became their leader; he told them where to go, he divided them when they fought each other, and so on.

Dog Kid

This situation carried on for two years. Two years during which Ivan barely spoke a word of human language or interacted with another person. He barked and walked on all fours.

Ivan was perfectly satisfied with his situation, especially when he remembered how life used to be with his mother and her boyfriend. For the first time in a very long time, he felt love. He felt safe, warm, and happy… until one day.

Caught

Word got around Moscow about the feral kid who ran with a pack of dogs and sometimes stole food from butchers and restaurants. Eventually, the police set up a plan to catch him.

They attracted Ivan’s dogs with meat and then caught the kid like an animal. Ivan cried and cried as they took them away from his friends. From that day, he started living among humans again.

Heartbroken

“I loved the dogs and they loved me,” were the first words Ivan said to the agents who caught him. He was heartbroken to be separated from his furry friends.

But he couldn’t continue living like that. Ivan was taken to an adoption center. In a matter of months, he was adopted by a foster family who was moved by his story. He grew up and enlisted in the Russian Navy.

Grateful

“I understand that if it wasn’t for those dogs I wouldn’t have survived in the street,” Ivan says. He remembers those days fondly, despite all the struggles, but he’s happy about returning to society.

“I am also grateful to policemen who took me from the pack, and of course to my foster mum who raised me.”

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.