10 years on, ‘monkey boy’ wants to be pilot

 Meshack Challo,10 was rescued having spent part of his life with monkeys,

Meshack Challo,10, the boy who was rescued after having spent part of his life with monkeys, is slowly adapting to normal life contrary to perception that it could take ages for him to even communicate.

Challo was found in the company of several monkeys in the heart of Kilimambogo forest in early 2005. Ten years on, The Nairobian caught up with the boy who found a loving ‘mother’ and family in Tunza Children’s Home in Ngong’. It is hard to pick Challo out from the children playing in the home.  It took Diminah Khasialo, the children’s home founder, to call out ‘Babu’ three times before Challo showed up, ball  in hand and dressed in a Barcelona jersey suggesting he’s an avid footballer.

 “I am Liverpool fan and some of my favourite players include Daniel Sturridge and Gerrard. In Spain, I support Real Madrid. Ronaldo, Banzema and Marcelllo are my favourites,” he says, a clear indication the Class Five student follows live matches during weekends.

Three years ago ‘Babu’ actively isolated himself from other kids. Today, he is a confident boy, though he tends to sit alone as if in meditation.

Challo attends the nearby Kibiko Primary School where he emerged 16 out of 42 students.  “My favourite subjects are Maths, in which I scored 72 per cent and Science in which I scored 86 per cent. I want to be a pilot when I grow up,” he said before breaking away to sit alone under a shade in the scorching afternoon sun.

Khasialo recalls how far Challo has developed. “A few years after his rescue, he was wild. Other children were scared of him because he could bite them. He has really changed and he is now very sharp in class,” says Khasialo. She adds that, “Initially, he preferred to be naked and tore his clothes. While others kids ate used plates, he would pour his food and eat it from the ground.” She says that no one has claimed the boy: “He is now my son, I am confident he will prosper.”

Khasialo was attending a seminar when she spotted a hairy boy (Challo), then aged one strolling around Thika’s 14 Falls leading to a fierce fight with monkeys that were protecting him.

“At first, l ignored it thinking it was a baby monkey. But on closer look, I was shocked to realise it was a baby though it was very hairy,” she recalls.

Challo underwent several tests at Kenyatta National Hospital, where he was found fit but weak, and put under medication before being discharged to his current home in Ngong.

 Uganda’s ‘Monkey Boy’

John Ssebunya, the Ugandan ‘monkey boy’ reportedly lived with monkeys for three years. He fled from his home at a tender age, fearing for his life after witnessing his father and mother being murdered in cold-blood, and lost touch with his community.

In 1991, he was rescued from a troop of monkeys who fought back to protect Ssebunya who was five then.

At the time, Ssebunya suffered from hypertrichosis, a fairly common disease in feral children. His body was full of scars and wounds and he could not tolerate cooked food. His knees showed he had not learned to walk, thus taking more than eight years for him to adapt to normal life.