His mother and adult brother, both struggling with drug addiction, kept him out of school and away from other children. The boy was largely left to bond only with the dogs and communicated by barking.
KhaosodAuthorities went to the home in Uttaradit Province on June 30 and quickly removed the boy from the premises.
Police in Thailand recently rescued an eight-year-old boy from a neglectful home in Uttaradit Province, where he was found surrounded by dogs and unable to speak.
The exact level of education and socialization that the boy has received remain unclear. However, authorities do know that he had limited contact with humans and struggled to communicate with officials in the wake of his rescue.
Now, he has been taken to a local children’s shelter where he is expected to receive appropriate counseling and education.
The Neglected Eight-Year-Old Is Rescued From His Home In Thailand’s Uttaradit Province
The boy, who has only been identified as “Boy A”, had been living with six dogs, his 46-year-old mother, and 23-year-old brother. Both his mother and brother tested positive for drug use in tests conducted after the rescue, according to news outlet Thaiger.
The situation was brought to the attention of police after local school official Sophon Siha-ampai, contacted Pawina Hongsakul, the President of the Pawina Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women.
KhaosodWhen the boy was rescued, he was unable to speak and could only bark.
Both the foundation and police conducted the rescue operation at the home in Thailand’s Uttaradit province on June 30.
When authorities arrived, they found the boy living in filthy conditions with limited human contact. The boy was unable to speak and showed signs of being severely behind in terms of social development.
“He didn’t speak, he just barked,” Hongsakul said. “It was pitiful to see.”
It’s unclear what level of education the boy has received, with some outlets reporting he hadn’t been to school in two years. It is clear that the boy was not attending school at the time of the rescue, despite his mother receiving a subsidy of 400 baht (about $12 USD) from the government so that he could have free education, per Khaosod English.
“His mother hasn’t allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education,” Hongsakul said. “After getting the money, she simply kept him at home.”
The boy seemed to have little to no interaction with other children his own age. Many neighbors did not allow their children to play with the boy or interact with his family due to their drug use.
The boy’s mother would go to other local villages and temples to beg for money or food, often leaving the boy at home alone with the dogs.
Other Cases Of Neglected And Feral Children In Modern History
This is far from the first case of a child being severely neglected and thus experiencing problems with communication and social development as a result. Oftentimes, children who spend their crucial developmental years separated from society are referred to as feral children.
Wikimedia CommonsDina Sanichar, widely known as the real-life Mowgli, spent the first six years of his life in the Indian jungle.
One of the most famous such cases is that of Dina Sanichar, a child who may have helped inspire the character of Mowgli in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Sanichar was raised by wolves in the Indian jungle before eventually being found by hunters in 1867.
The hunters took him to an orphanage, where missionaries gave him his name. When he arrived, Sanichar primarily exhibited wolf-like behaviors, but slowly began to pick up human mannerisms.
Sanichar ultimately died of tuberculosis in 1895 at the age of 35, and reportedly never fully adjusted to living in human society.
The story of Genie Wiley is another notable case of a feral child. Born in California in 1957, she spent the first 13 years of her life separated from society by her abusive and neglectful father. She was held in a cage or locked in a blacked-out room for years.
After Wiley was finally rescued, she became the subject of scientific research and experimentation, something that still incites controversy to this day.
There is also the story of Oxana Malaya, the Ukrainian girl who lived with her family’s dog in the kennel for five years in the 1980s. When she was rescued, she had picked up dog-like mannerisms and behaviors, including crawling around on all fours and barking. She now, however, leads a normal life.
As for the recent case in Thailand, social workers are currently attempting to rehabilitate the boy and planning for long-term support to help him eventually reintegrate into society.
“The boy will be given a chance at a good life,” said Hongsakul. “We’ll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs.”
After reading about the rescue of this eight-year-old boy, learn about Marina Chapman, the woman who claims she was raised by monkeys. Then, discover the tragic story behind the “4 children for sale” photograph.
