Real Life Mowgli Cuddles Elephants, Leopards & Ostriches

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-Staff

By Staff

Friday, November 14, 2008, 11:20

Tippi Degre who was born in the wilds of Namibia in 1990 may be called the real-life Mowgli, Rudyard Kipling's young hero in 'The Jungle Book', as she grew up in amidst wildlife and wilderness befriending the wild species.

A video, made by her own parents, French photographers Sylvie Robert and Alain Degre, when they lived in Africa, shows Tippi Degre being treated by elephants, leopards and ostriches as one of their own, letting her cuddle them.

"It was magical to be this free in nature. It was just the three of us living wild with the animals and not too many humans. My daughter was a very lucky little girl. She was born and raised almost completely in the wild," the Sun quoted Sylvie, 52, as saying.

"Tippi always said that this was her gift. She was in the mindset of these animals, believing they were her size and her friends," Sylvie added.

Tippi had a leopard friend J&B and named her elephant friend Abu.

Sylvie's book produced with Alain, called Tippi: My Book Of Africa, said: "She had no fear. She did not realise she was not the same size as Abu and would look into his eyes and speak to him."

"Tippi was just 18 months old when they met and it was a special time. Their friendship was incredible." Sylvie added. As a toddler Tippi would happily move about by a herd of elephants, sit for hours with lion cubs and dance with ostriches even when she was two.

However Tippi also faced the risk of being attacked by her wild friends. Sylvie said that she always concerned about her child's safety.

"Wild animals will either run away or attack you if they are frightened. You must always be on the watch. Tippi was hurt only twice. First a meerkat bit her on the nose," she said.

"Then, in 1994, she was at a water hole with a baboon called Cindy. Cindy attacked Tippi's hair and pulled out a handful out of jealousy. That was terribly painful," she added.

After having the family left for France in 2000 and returned back in 2006, Sylvie said: "When we returned to Africa in 2006 Cindy ran up to Tippi and played with her hair, grooming her. It was quite beautiful."Sylvie said: "My daughter will always be African. Hers is like Mowgli's story — but Tippi's is true."Tippi, who is 18 now is studying for a degree in cinema at the Sorbonne in Paris.