A young man recently dubbed "Siberian Mowgli," after having lived in the harsh Siberian wilderness for sixteen years, finally speaks to villagers for the first time since his initial contact with modern society earlier this year.
Odzhan, 20, reveals that he had first emerged from the wilderness in May, after his parents disappeared. He sought help from the nearest village, afraid that he would not survive winter alone. A concerned village woman had brought him to a prosecutor's office to find help for his mother and father. When more people expressed their concern for him living in the wild during winter, he reportedly returned to the hut from whence he came.
He has never undergone formal education, has never underwent a medical examination , but appears fit, healthy and educated. He says that his parents have educated him to read and write by giving him books, and had learned English from his father and by reading a dictionary.
He still lives with his parents Alexander and Elena in a one-room hut in a Siberian forest, with their main source of income coming from the mushrooms they sell, and the paintings by his father which are then sold to the few people they meet in the wilderness.
While Odzhan is a fascinating case indeed, with many considering him to be fine young man despite his rather unique upbringing, he says that he does not want to live close to other people, and expresses his disgust for the city, complaining of its "smell" and "pollution."
"I am happy here," he tells the newspaper crew that had paid him and his parents a visit. Aside from chores, he enjoys reading his books and painting in his spare time. The only thing he wants from the outside world, he says, is a means to practice his language skills, with a native speaker. That should be a cue to the many enchanted female ESL-certified English teachers out there.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
