Mowgli

monkey

goat

By Amit KumarRudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, with, the human child brought up by a pack of wolves, is a story that never ceases to fascinate us. Now hear the story, a real one as opposed to Kipling’s fictional account, of a babyand her bond with her cross-species mother, a doe (female).Puttapana Basappa, owner of a flock of goats, lived in Konana Pura village near Nanjungud Taluk. Two years ago, when Basappa had taken his goats out to graze, he spotted an injured baby monkey; it had fallen from a tree.Since the monkey’s family was nowhere to be found, Basappa took the monkey home and treated her injuries. He named her Seetha and handed her over to one of his lactating does to be nursed. Soon, Basappa left her in a field.The next day, Basappa saw Seetha sitting on his compound wall, waiting to be fed. Again, he handed her over to the doe.Since then, this became routine and soon, Seetha started accompanying the goats as they went grazing. She would ride on her ‘mother’s’ back and then go away for the evening.Basappa’s son Murthy said, “Seetha has become a part of our life since two years.”