Zanziman Ellie
Although Zanziman Ellie is technically not a feral child because he is cared for by his mother, he still runs free as if he is one. Ellie was born in a Rwandan village to an adoring mother in 1999. Ellie’s mother knew that he was unique from the moment he was born, as his head was only the size of a tennis ball. After five of her newborn babies died shortly after birth, Ellie’s mother asked God for just one child to survive, even if he or she had disabilities; when Ellie was born with such an odd appearance, she believed that God had listened and given her the gift she’d been asking for.
Ellie continued to become less and less normal as he grew up. Ellie adopted the characteristics and abilities of an ape– he refused to learn to talk and still won’t eat any food that his mother prepares for him. Ellie spends all his days running away from his village, making his poor mother chase after him through the forest with a makeshift lasso so that he won’t get lost forever. Ellie forges in the forest for bananas and other vegetation that he eats for all his meals. While nearby villagers also attempt to catch him when he runs away, they still bully him mercilessly for his inability to communicate and live like a normal human.
