A young girl found living in a forest with monkeys in northern India is now in care, after a rescue mission by local police.
The BBC reports the girl aged between eight and 10 was found naked and emaciated in Katarniaghat forest, Uttar Pradesh.
She was first spotted living in the animal sanctuary by a group of villagers, who then notified police.
According to The Independent the rescue was fraught with danger, with police official Dinesh Tripathi claiming monkeys tried to attack officers as they attempted to remove the girl.
Mr Tripathi said an attending officer was attacked but was able to get the girl into a police car, and then speed away.
The girl was found in an unkempt state with wounds on her body. She has been in care for the past two months, and doctors are slowly making an effort to humanise her.
Specialists treating the girl say that when she first came to the hospital, she was unable to speak. According to Dr DK Singh, doctors couldn’t even get near the girl, saying she “screamed loudly if doctors tried to reach out to her.”
Dr DK Singh also said the way she moved, and even her eating habits were animal-like.
“She would throw food on the ground and eat it directly with her mouth, without lifting it with her hands.”
“She used to move around using only her elbows and knees,” Dr Singh said.
The girl has been reportedly responding well to treatment and it’s expected she will be handed over to welfare services in the long term.
Police are currently reviewing records of missing children in an attempt to identify her.
