The real-life Mowgli the girl who was raised by animals
Tippie de Grey has been dubbed the real-life Mowgli as she was raised amongst wild animals after
Writing a book about her life and appearing in several documentaries Tippie became a point of fascination for people everywhere
The picture and her story of her childhood are unbelievable
Tippie de Garay was born in Namibia in June of 1992 French couple Sylvie Robert and Ellen de Grey
Tippi was named after the famed actress Tippi Hedren
Hadron is best known for her role in Hitchcock's film the birds
When Tippi was born her parents decided she would not have a normal childhood
But instead would be raised amongst wild animals in Africa for the next 10 years
She'd spend her days running elephants and making friends with leopards
Tippy's mother Sylvie had no regrets about the decision to give her daughter an extremely unique upbringing
She told the Telegraph it was magical to be able to be free in this nature with this child
She was a very lucky little girl. She was born and raised until the age of 10 totally in the wild
It was just the three of us living in the wild with animals and not too many humans
Sylvie told the Telegraph that when she was young Tippy's everyday life was making sure monkeys did not steal her bottle
She also recalls on many occasions as a young infant
She'd call her over and point to an elephant eating from a palm tree and say mommy be quiet. We're going to frighten them
Many children at such young age would not have those strong instincts about wild animals
From a young age it was obvious to her parents that Tippi was fearless
She was able to integrate herself into the lives of these enormous wild animals. Sylvie said she was in the mindset of these animals
She believed these animals were her size and her friends. She was using her imagination to live in these different conditions
Her best friends became those ferocious beasts
As her mother stated before her infancy was spent worrying whether a wild animal would take her bottle away from her
However, this was possible from an early age as she was up and running around the jungle from a very young age
The people reported that chippy was often walking around by the time she was 10 months old
Most babies are still crawling on all fours at that age
Tippi obviously didn't have a normal upbringing
Her dangers were much more serious than most children many children had to look both ways before crossing the street
Zippy had to be on her guard constantly watching out for ferocious beasts
Survival techniques were taught to her from a very young age. Although the story behind. This picture has not been reported
We believe her parents like most parents would did not let her play around with knives
Tippi once befriended a lion cub named Mufasa
Many pictures were captured at the moment a year after the original meeting Tippi and her family went to see Mufasa
He had grown into a very large cat
Although the lion was friendly with Tippi giving her a friendly rub his tail nearly knocked her over
Her parents decided to step in and keep her away from the animal her parents
Do not regret the decision they made for their child
Sylvia said for me
it was incredible to think you offer all this to a child because I was at ease because I liked it and because I had
Lived with the meerkats in the Kalahari Desert for six years before tippy was born. I
Believed it was fantastic to have that to offer to a child
Compared to what? I would have been able to offer the child in a city, for example
When tippy was only a year-and-a-half old she met Abu the elephant
Her mother described how she did not see the size of the elephant and run in fear
She would just look into its eyes and speak to him
Like he was an old friend her mother describes the original meeting in the bond. They quickly made was incredible
Tippi once told the Telegraph that her best friend was a leopard named Jay and B
The leopard had been adopted by a local farmer as its mother died in the Tramp. The animal was very calm with tippy
However, it never lost its killer instincts
She recalls a time the cat attacked another child Tippi walked up and told it to stop the animal dead and ran away
Clearly from a young age Tippi had a gift. She was able to connect with animals on levels many other humans are unable to do
Silvia explained Tippi always said that everyone was gifted and this was her gift
Tippy's gift was being able to communicate with animals her gift allowed her to meet many different animals
And her parents to get some amazing photos along the way
Many little girls may freak out at the possibility of even touching a small frog however, not Tippi
She was a friend to all the animals including the slimy ones
Here her parents were able to capture an intimate moment between their daughter and a very large African bullfrog
Many ostriches in the wild would normally run away from humans as they see them as predators
Luckily, the dead greys were able to encounter a tamed ostrich. This one's name was Linda and it was owned by a local farmer
Tippi looks very carefree letting the wind blow through her hair as she rides the flightless and large birds back
Throughout her travels the de Graaff family would also encounter many tribes people Tippie
Especially befriended the Bushmen and people of the Himba tribe in the Kalahari
The tribe taught Tippi how to survive on roots and berries speak their language as well as use a bow and arrow
Her mother said when we filmed the San Bushmen of northern, Namibia
We let Tippi spend the day with the group without us until she'd fall asleep amongst the kids
She was accepted by the local tribe children from the beginning
Sylvie said when we came to a village with African children within two minutes Tippi was the clown and people found her so cute
She describes how the African children were so accepting of her and enjoyed playing with her and they were especially fascinated by her hair
Unfortunately, she never found that acceptance when she had to leave Africa and go back to Europe
The seabird islands are located off the coast of South Africa. It's a very important breeding site for coastal birds
Therefore it's no surprise that the dead race took a trip to the island also, no surprise
Tippi was able to become one with the flock here. She is seen at age 6 with arms outstretched
She's completely in sync with her surroundings
Once again to be strong connection with animals shines brightly in this photo
Tippi allows the snake to slither up her bare skin and give her a little kiss
many young girls and even grown adults would run away screaming
however, not Tippi her parents were able to snap this perfect photo a true testament to the young girl's bravery as
Stated before one of her best friends was a leopard. However, she didn't just play with big wild cats. She enjoyed naps with them
Most children keep a stuffed teddy bear Tibbie took that concept to a whole new level
She cuddled with live lion cubs during her naps
However, the chillip very peaceful and it's clear that the cub also enjoyed Tippy's presence
When going to the zoo people are normally instructed not to feed the animals
However in Tippy's case she had no rules here. We see tippy feeding a zebra
The zebra seems very excited about what she has to offer in that container as always tippy is calm and collected as is the animal
Food is a great way to make friends no matter what species you are
By now the fact that tippy also wrote elephants should definitely not be a big surprise in this photo
Especially you can see her bond with the animal. She isn't just riding the elephant, but it's cradling her with its trunk
It shows the amount of respect love and trust each has for the other tippy looks completely serene and relaxed at this moment
Tippy was completely accepted into the local elephant herd as seen before they were more than happy to give her a lift
Now we see that the herd also welcomes them and they're bathing and cooling down time in a local pond
Although tippy is excited and splashing the water
The elephant remains calm once again shows how trusting the elephants were of her
Tippy had a very unconventional lifestyle from her home to her clothing to her friends many young girls grow up wearing dresses
She wore animal skins and loin cloths many young girls carry purses she carried a suitcase made from local trees
Many young girls snuggle with a teddy bear or a favorite stuffed animal. She snuggled with live animals
But judging from this picture, she loved every second
When people hear crocodile they tend to stay away
Crocodiles have a bad reputation and are known for being vicious
However, tippy did not see violence in this crocodile, but only another chance to make a new friend
We see her proudly standing on its back while balancing on one foot
The crocodile remains still as though he also does not want to be to fall
Tippy's playmates beside the local tribes children were animals including monkeys
Monkeys have come to be known as one of the most intelligent animals in the animal kingdom with many similarities to current day humans
Here, it's prevalent that there's a deep understanding and bond between the animal and tippy
She gently caresses his hand as though they are studying each other
Throughout the years chippy was home-schooled
Her parents use their knowledge as well as the wild environment to teach their daughter all she needed to know
We believe that her parents must have used the behavior of animals and multiple lessons including turtles
Turtles can teach great moral lessons such as patience and determination towards your goals
Later in life after attempting a public school. Her parents realized that homeschooling was the best option for her
The African elephant is one of the largest land animals on earth
They can grow up to 8.2 to 13 feet tall and weigh two and a half to seven tonnes
African elephants can also live to be 70 plus years old
Elephants normally travel in herds. And if you didn't believe it already Tippie was part of their herd
Tippy was seen riding and even bathing with the elephants, but here we see a direct connection of affection
Tippy definitely has the best photo album of her childhood as
You've already seen she has pictures with some amazing wild animals, like elephants lions crocodiles monkeys and turtles
This is mostly due to her parents. Her parents had the foresight that bringing their daughter up in the wild was a good idea
They also have an eye for amazing pictures as they were wildlife documentary makers
This photo is a true testament to their ability to capture a picture at the perfect time
Unfortunately many circuses and entertainment spectacles have come under fire for mistreatment of animals
Animals are forced to perform stunts and entertain spectators sometimes under very harsh conditions
however with tippy
She did not need to punish or harm the animal in order for them to listen to her
Riding elephants came with ease for her. It was a bonding activity with a friend not a tourist attraction
Tippy had a love for all animals cute or ugly big or small if it wasn't a parent by now
This picture will certainly change your mind
Here's a close-up picture of her once again smooching a slimy reptile
Most parents would probably pull their child away in fear of a possible bite
But Timmy's parents sylveon Allen knew she had the situation under
Just like Mowgli in the Jungle Book Tippie spent most of her life in minimal clothing
She's photographed many times wearing just a loincloth or other light fabrics
However, this was done to keep to be cool in the hot African climate
Transitioning to everyday clothing like jeans and a t-shirt must have been very difficult for her
When she was 12, she returned to Africa to film documentaries for the Discovery Channel. Her mom says it was a wonderful experience
However, Tippi disagreed she told The Telegraph it was great to see the elephants and the lions
But it would have been better if I hadn't always been in front of the camera. It was hard work
It was difficult. It was hot and I was not happy all the time. I was worn out at the end of it
When the outside world began learning about Tippi the public immediately wanted to know more
Multiple documentaries have been made about her and her experiences Lehman's along Tippi. The world according to Tippi was released in 1997
CP and a freak was released in 2012 and around the world with Tippi was released in 2004
Around the world with Tippi included six wildlife and environmental TV documentaries, which premiered on the Discovery Channel
After her 10 years of the jungle it was time for Tippi to enter mainstream society
She and her family moved back to the city adjustment to life in the city was hard for Tippi
They moved into a small flat and didn't even have enough room for a dog
She went from having the whole African continent as her playground to these small metal structures. Most people grow up knowing
The first two years of her transition were especially hard her parents tried to assimilate her into normal society
By sending her to a local state school in Paris
unfortunately, she had little in common with the other children and began home school in order to ease her desire to be around animals the
Family bought to be a budgie in order to ease her desire to be around animals the family bought to be a budgie
Her mom said it would go everywhere with her even on the train flying right by her side
Sitting on her head or falling asleep on her shoulder
Sippy looks back on her life and feels extremely blessed for the experiences. She had at a young age
She began running her own website where she declared. My name is Tippi
I am African and I was born 10 years ago in Namibia civvy told The Telegraph
CP believes, she's African and she wants to get in Namibia in Passport. She wants to become an ambassador for Namibia
It's like Mowgli story, but Tippy's is true
Once she was fully adjusted to be attended public schools and eventually attended university lissa born new Val University in Paris. She
Studied film and was last reported as supervising Tigers at Fort Boyd the site of a popular game show
This picture was snapped of her at the F ICMA the International
environmental film festival
There have been several other cases where a child was raised by animals
For example, Marina Chapman was believed to be kidnapped and then abandoned for five years
She found refuge with a group of capuchin monkeys the monkeys taught Maria how to catch birds and rabbits with her bare hands in
2001 a young Chilean boy was found amongst a pack of dogs
He'd been living amongst them for two years
Officials report the dogs protected him and helped him scavenge for food