From completely out in left field, a heartbreaking, shocking, but oddly compelling way to spend a few minutes is a visit to FeralChildren.
This quasi-reputable site is a catalog of children who were, in fact, raised by wolves, among other fauna. (There is actually a reference to a child raised by an ostrich, who I believe is now the leader of the free world.) It’s surprisingly well put together and comprehensive, and is simply chock-o-block with “you gotta be shitting me” stories that range from fascinating (the wolf children who walked on all fours and howled each night to be let out to hunt) to gut wrenching (a Los Angeles girl who was confined to a chair in a darkened room, with virtually no human contact, for 13 years.)
Now, obviously, I can’t vouch for the authenticity of any of these stories, but true or not, there’s some good reading to be found here.
March 4th, 2005 at 11:17 pm
Say,babydaddy, exactly which parenting web site led you to this bizarre site?
March 6th, 2005 at 12:11 am
Actually, none. If you get way deep into the guts of Google, they have all kind of extremely narrow, bizarre searches, this being one of them. (Yes, there is more than one site on this topic.)
The thing that drew me to this one is how non-bizarre the site is; it seems as though the host is actually a sane person who is genuinely concerned about the topic and has done some thoughtful research on same.
There’s a place for everyone out there, I tell ya.
March 8th, 2005 at 12:12 pm
Why aren’t there any documented cases of canines taken from their parents by groups of homo sapiens, who then begin acting like their human hosts? Why doesn’t Fido walk on two legs, watch tv, and wear clothes?
March 10th, 2005 at 2:07 am
I don’t know. That would be pretty cool, though. Or maybe a cat that drank Natural Light and watched NASCAR. Sweet.