Dog Boy Discovered, Raised by Strays

Tuesday, June 19, 2001 - CHILE

SANTIAGO — "They were like his family," says a spokesman for the Talcahuano Municipality.  "A female dog nurtured him."

Reuters News and Japan Today reported that a Chilean boy abandoned as a baby has survived for as many as 11 years living in a cave in the care of a pack of stray dogs who raised and suckled him, according to a police report issued yesterday.

A family of 15 stray dogs living in the coastal Pacific port of Talcahuano adopted the infant at birth and taught him to survive as they do: by scavenging for food amid trash cans.  The boy would also suck milk from the breast of one of the dogs, reports the Carabinero Police.

Editor's note: Conflicting reports estimate that the boy had been living with the pack between 2-11 years; records of the child's history have not yet been verified.

After being alerted to the situation, police discovered the boy and chased him into the Pacific Ocean, where an officer was able to swim out and retrieve the little fugitive.

The boy has apparently been identified, although authorities have not yet disclosed this information.  He is now in the custody of a state-run welfare society.

Though the "Dog Boy" shows clear signs of malnutrition, he was remarkably well cared for and protected by the strays.  At a hospital yesterday he was treated for hypothermia and wounds to the face caused by the police chase.

Nov. 14 UPDATE: Dog Boy Escapes

 §§§