The Telegraph UK
Wolf boy is welcomed home by mother after years in the wild
TWO months after being found close to death, a real-life Mowgli who lived in Romanian forests with wild
dogs after running away from a violent father is returning to family life. Michael Leidig reports from
Brasov.
12:01AM BST 14 Apr 2002
The mother of Romania's "Mowgli Boy" took her son home for the first time last week after he spent
years living with wild animals in the forests of Transylvania.
Lina Caldarar has already had one heart-stopping moment since being reunited with Traian, seven, when
he ran in front of a car to chase a cat.
The feral child - nicknamed Mowgli by hospital staff after the character in The Jungle Book - was found
by a shepherd two months ago, barely alive, huddled in a cardboard box, naked and the size of a threeyear-old. He had forgotten how to speak.
His mother, who recognised him on a television news report, said that she fled from her husband's
home three years ago after he beat her. She believes that Traian ran away for the same reason.
Doctors say it would have been almost impossible for him to have survived alone, and think that he was
looked after by wild dogs in the Transylvanian forests.
When rescued, he was suffering from severe malnutrition and rickets, and his circulation was bad,
possibly because of earlier frostbite. He became violent when hungry, and preferred to sleep under his
bed.
He was kept under observation in an orphanage in Brasov, 150 miles from Bucharest, until last week
when the authorities ruled his mother fit to look after him.
Ms Caldarar, 23, said: "I loved my son, but I had a violent husband who beat me. When I fled, I lost
contact with Traian, although I tried to get him back.
"I never stopped thinking about him but there was nothing I could do. I hoped he had perhaps been
adopted by another family."
Traian's new home is less than seven miles from where he was found in February. He lives in the remote
village of Vistea de Jos with his mother, her parents and her three brothers and three sisters.
The youngest of Ms Caldarar's brothers, Mihai, who is nine, has become Traian's best friend, although
they cannot yet hold a conversation. Although the boy has made progress in re-integrating, his mother
says he still has a long way to go.
"He still hasn't got used to saying when he needs to go to the lavatory," she said. "Someone needs to
keep an eye on him at all times because it's easy for him to get hurt.
"He still can't identify the dangers in the street. Like an untrained puppy, when he sees something
interesting like a cat on the other side of the road, he'll just run across, regardless of whether there are
cars coming."
She is relieved, however, that her son has gained weight. "When he came here, he wasn't even able to
climb five stairs. I don't think he would have lasted much longer in the wild. He was so weak. But now he
can do that all alone. Doctors tell me he has strengthened, and this is a good sign."
Traian has learnt to share sweets with friends, yet only two months ago he was desperately defending
his food and growling for another plate before finishing the one in his hands. "My husband starved us
both," his mother said. "He didn't give us food for days."
Traian Ciurar, 24, the boy's father, is married to Ms Caldarar under Gypsy law.
"I ran away from my husband and came back to my parents when Traian was only four, which was three
years ago. He was beating me badly.
"He didn't allow me to take my child, even though I tried to. He said the child belonged to him. Looking
back, I'm sure he was beating Traian, and that's why he ran away.
"I tried to see my boy after I fled, but my husband got his relatives to tell me that Traian was not at
home."
Ms Caldarar had lost touch with her husband, but then came the television report. She said: "I said to
my mum, 'that's my son - that's Traian'.
"They were showing him while he was in hospital. My mum couldn't believe it. She said, 'no, Lina, it's not
him. Calm down'. But I recognised him.
"I went with my mother to the hospital in Fagaras and there he was. The doctor asked my son, `Who is
this woman?' He recognised me immediately. He said, `Lina; Mum.' They are still some of the only words
he knows."
Police are trying to track down the boy's father, who could be charged with abandonment and abuse.
Traian was found by Manolescu Ioan, the shepherd, who was walking across country after his car broke
down. Nearby was the body of a dog, which the boy had apparently been eating.
The child was taken to hospital in the town of Fagaras, where Mircea Florea, a surgeon, said: "He was
found in an animal position, and his movements are animalistic. The facts show that he was not brought
up in a social environment and might have been abandoned a long time ago.
"He was not fussy. He ate everything we gave him, but didn't know what fruit was."
Traian has dark skin, flared nostrils and downy brown hair - now washed and cut short. "He has now
started to learn how to behave himself," said Dr Florea. "With proper care, he can learn how to become
a human being."
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1.
What kind of writing is this an example of: Narrative, Informative/Informational, or Argumentative? How do
you know this?
2.
Clear Purpose: What main idea is the author trying to explain?
3.
How does the author shape his main idea? Does he use quotes, a story, or statistics?
4.
Key Details: What specific details help you understand the main idea? Cite these details using MLA format.
5.
Tone: Is the tone of this article objective or subjective? How do you know?
6.
Intended Audience: Who is the author talking to or writing for?
7.
Summary: Write a three sentence objective summary of the informational text.