We all love the story of The Jungle Book! Mowgli was raised by wolves and had a special relationship with the rest of the animals in the jungle. One of the most famous scenes in the movie is when Mowgli encounters jungle monkeys. They aren’t the nicest of creatures and their leader is a bit mischievous. While monkeys aren’t as smart as they are in that movie, one story shows that they don’t have to be enemies!
A boy in India has become friends with a troupe of wild monkeys.
The boy in question is a two-year-old named Samarth Bangari. He lives in Allapur, a village in the Indian state of Karnataka. The place where the boy lives is known to be frequented by the animals – nobody thought that this boy would befriend them, though!
The monkeys are known as Hanuman langurs.
Hanuman langurs are pretty calm and easy-going as far as monkeys go. They are also referred to as Gray langurs and are native to India! Often considered sacred in the Hindu religion, they are often protected and seen as good luck to have around. They are less aggressive than other primates, making them a perfect candidate for what happened next.
His mother was astounded at her son’s behavior.
Moms are always being brought things that their sons find outside (usually strange or gross items and objects). What most mothers don’t expect, though, is for the outside to get in their son! Samarth has a special connection with the monkeys and spends most of his time playing and living with them!
“He plays with them, feeds them home cooked food. The monkeys love him and even when he pulls their tails, the animals do not harm him,” said his mother, Nanda Bangari.
This Jungle Book Boy seems to have a second family!
In a crazy turn of events, the boy and the monkeys are inseparable. The boy and monkeys share food with each other and play games all day long. Starting their day off at 6 a.m., the monkeys come and wake up their friend so they can all go explore – what an alarm clock!
It all started when one of the monkeys tried to steal his food.
When most toddlers get their food taken, they start to cry and pout. This little boy didn’t do either!
“They all gathered in large numbers seeing him eating and one came close to him suddenly and snatched his food,” said his father, Sunil Bangari.
It seems that the boy and the monkeys have a unique and special relationship.
Fitting in with a troupe of around 20 monkeys is quite the feat! Whether it’s playing or eating food, the little boy will have a story to tell his kids as he gets older. Who knows, maybe he will tire of the human world and decide to live with the monkeys in the jungle. A different twist on The Jungle Book, for sure, but a cool one!
“Everyone thinks that he is special and they are communicating with each other, and can understand what is being said,” said his uncle, Barama Reddy, who described his nephew and the primates as having ‘a special bond’.
Check out the video below!
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