Russian authorities have found a young man who claims to have lived in a Siberian forest for over 16 years with his family. A local woman in the town of Belokurikha initially brought the boy to the prosecutor’s office, fearing he would not survive the winter.
According to the boy, whose name has not been released, after they decided to separate themselves from society. He said he has been alone since his parents left him in the hut in May and that he went to the nearby village for help as the summer began to wane. 鈥淗e was just afraid that he won’t survive the winter without his parents,鈥 said Roman Fomin of the local prosecutor鈥檚 office.
Fearing the boy may have to spend a Siberian winter alone in the wilderness, the prosecutor鈥檚 office is appealing in court to have his identification documents reestablished so that he may seek state support.
The Russian media has taken a keen interest in the boy, calling him 鈥渇orest boy鈥 or 鈥淪iberian Mowgli,鈥 after the lead character in Rudyard Kipling鈥檚 The Jungle Book. Fomin described him as 鈥渘ormal and healthy.鈥 His only recognizable quirk is that he speaks very slowly, likely the result of infrequent communication with others.