Part of the Herd – The Humans who live among the animals

From Doctor Dolittle and Mowgli to the legend of Romulus and Remus, stories of humans living side-by-side with animals have captured imaginations throughout the ages, but what about in real life? We take a look at some of the remarkable individuals who have lived cheek by jowl with animals in the wild.

Father of the Lions

Image Credit
British conservationist and game warden George Adamson was immortalized in the 1966 movie ‘Born Free’, which tells the true story of Elsa, an orphaned lioness which Adamson raised along with his wife, Joy. The couple trained Elsa to hunt and fend for herself in preparation for when she was finally released into the wild. Sadly, Adamson was killed in 1989 by Somali bandits and is buried at the Kora National Reserve in North Kenya.

A Dog’s Life

Image Credit
Stories of children raised by wild animals are well known but scarcely documented in any true scientific sense. Such is the case with Oxana Malaya, who was brought up by a pack of dogs in the Ukraine, having been abandoned by her parents at just three years old. Nurtured by the pack, she lost all traces of the language she had learnt as a toddler. She was discovered in 1991 aged 8, running on all fours and communicating through canine barks and snarls.

Monkey see, monkey do

Image Credit
Even more remarkable is the story of John Ssabunnya who, at the age of two, was adopted by a colony of African Green monkeys after his mother was murdered. The orphaned boy learnt how to climb trees and survived on fruits and berries in the Ugandan jungle, adopting the behavioural traits of his foster family. He was later found in 1991 and taken to an orphanage, where he was taught to speak again. He now sings with the Pearl of Africa choir and remains intensely protective of monkeys, with which he still appears to be able to communicate.

Primate Soul-mates

Image Credit
Dame Jane Goodall is the world’s leading expert on chimpanzee behavior. During her 45 year study of the apes at Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, she observed their unique personality traits and behaviors. While living among them, she witnessed social expressions such as kisses and hugs among family groups and she was the first to document their use of tools, having monitored their employment of grass stems to remove termites from the ground. Having worked tirelessly in support of conservation and animal welfare, she was honored in 2002 as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Gorilla Wars

Image Credit
Few conservation stories are as tragic as that of Dian Fossey, an American zoologist whose studies of gorilla groups involved living among mountain gorillas in Rwanda for over 18 years. Having developed an incredible relationship with the animals, she sought to dispel the idea of them as vicious, brutal creatures, and demonstrate their behavior as placid, social and noble. At the height of her career, she was the world’s foremost authority on mountain gorillas, having observed their social hierarchies, diet and systems of communication. She was sadly murdered in 1985, in a savage attack that remains unexplained. Her life among the wild gorillas, and her continual conflicts with illegal poachers was documented in the 1988 film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.

Conservation Crusader

Image Credit
Pioneer primatologist and champion of the endangered orangutans of Borneo, Galdikas is at the forefront of research concerning this enigmatic great ape. Little was known about these intelligent creatures before her 30-year study on their behavior and environment, during which she lived in a modest hut deep in the rainforest. She has become a spokesperson for the conservation of this fragile habitat, which is constantly under threat from deforestation and irreversible damage from palm oil plantations.

A Grizzly End

Image Credit
The devastating story of eco-warrior Timothy Treadwell is chronicled in Werner Herzog’s heart-breaking documentary ‘Grizzly Man’. A self-confessed lover of the North American brown bear, Treadwell lived among them at Katmai National Park in Alaska for 13 years. Tragically, he and his girlfriend were both mauled and killed in a savage, and uncharacteristic bear attack in 2003, the only known incident of its kind in the history of the park. In his relentless examinations of their life and behavior, Treadwell recorded hundreds of hours of video footage in his attempt to build a rapport with these wild creatures, which some believe was instrumental in his demise.

Bearing Up

Image Credit
Canadian wildlife expert Charlie Russell has lived with bears for over 42 years as part of his study of grizzly bear behavior. His experiences have included raising orphaned brown bears in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and in-depth studies in British Columbia’s Khutzeymateen Valley. Russell is keen to banish the assumption that bears are inherently dangerous to humans, claiming they are a social animal at heart.

In the Lion’s Den

Image Credit
In January 2011, brave James Jablon opted to live life on the edge, embarking on a daredevil month-long stretch in an enclosure with two African lions as part of a fund-raising campaign. Jablon is the owner of a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Hernando, Florida, and during his stay, planned to eat and sleep in the company of lions Lea and Ed. He successfully completed his reckless stunt, emerging from the ordeal virtually unscathed.

Leader of the Pack

Image Credit
Shaun Ellis, founder of Wolf Pack Management at Combe Martin Wildlife Park in North Devon, is famous for living among wolves as a member of the pack. His astonishing life alongside these apex predators has involved 18 months living in captivity with a pack of abandoned North American timber wolf pups, among which he became the alpha male. These days he works with captive wolves and assists with research studies aimed at investigating humane ways to prevent conflict between wolves and humans.

Part of the Herd was brought to you by Chessington Holidays; Official provider of short stay holidays to Chessington Zoo

Bashir Ahmed

I'm Founder of Blogging Tips, I loves blogging. My mission is provide you usefull articles. Join me on Google+ Follow Me On @Twitter and @Facebook.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

Related Posts

• No Related Posts