Real-Life Mowgli! Toddler Enjoys Daily Play Sessions with Monkey Gang
It's a story ripped straight from the pages of The Jungle Book: A two-year-old boy named Samarth Bangari has become a local — and now, international —legend for befriending a group of about two dozen wild langur monkeys in his hometown of Allapur, Karnataka, in India.
According to One India, the friendship began to evolve about six months ago. Samarth and his mother had gone to his grandfather's house for a visit. The boy was crying, and his grandmother gave him a jowar roti to eat. But Samarth handed it to a langur monkey who was resting in a nearby tree instead of eating it himself. Soon 10 more monkeys joined them, and the boy showed no fear.
Although Samarth does not yet speak, the boy's uncle Malikarjuna Reddy tells Hindustan Times, "Everyone thinks that he is special and they are communicating with each other, and can understand what is being said."
Reddy often carries his nephew outside so he can play with his monkey buddies while his parents work in a local field. The uncle says it is indeed "strange" that the animals behave this way with the boy, and some villagers fear they could hurt him.
One India reports that Samarth shows no fear with the langurs. He sometimes carries the little ones, and the adults have no problem with that. The boy's father says his family used to fear for his safety, but now everyone is comfortable with the relationship. Samarth has not suffered a single scratch at the hands of the primates.
His uncle claims that even if the boy is sleeping, the monkeys will come by to visit. They'll pull the covers off, wake him up and sit with him for an hour or two.
The unique friendship has also piqued the interest of the locals, who will visit Samarth's home or stop and watch while the interspecies pals play in a field near the boy's home.
Samarth's uncle says the boy and the monkeys have a "special bond." Even though he does not yet speak, the toddler mimics the noises his animal friends make.
The locals tried to introduce another child to the monkeys, but they became aggressive, reports the Sun. At times, the boy's relatives have tried to pull him away from the langurs. This has caused the monkeys to sometimes attack people, but never Samarth.
The animals seem to prefer and have an attachment only to this one special little boy.
The locals think the langurs (who are extremely hard to train) can't live without Samarth. They are so singularly focused on him, they'll search for him everywhere until they find him.
People in the village now believe the monkeys and Samarth are soul mates.
It's a story ripped straight from the pages of The Jungle Book: A two-year-old boy named Samarth Bangari has become a local — and now, international —legend for befriending a group of about two dozen wild langur monkeys in his hometown of Allapur, Karnataka, in India.
A local pack of langur monkeys come to visit and play with two-year-old Samarth every day at around the same time