'Parents' of jungle girl agree to have DNA test

As far as anyone knows, because she does not speak any intelligible language, the woman thought to be Rochom P'ngieng fended for herself for 19 years after disappearing in the Cambodian jungle as a child.

The 27-year-old, claimed as the long-lost daughter of a village policeman in a north-eastern province, appears to have lived in the wild, completely isolated from anyone.

Rochom P'ngieng disappeared while herding buffalo in a remote area when she was eight. Her father thought she had been killed by wild animals. Her true story will probably never be known. But she appears to have been a "feral child", growing up without exposure to human language and behaviour.

Those who study the subject suggest that about 100 cases of feral children have been recorded, going back to the 14th century.

In some cases, wild animals - wolves, dogs, even ostriches - are said to have helped them to survive. But the experts also counsel caution. Many cases are thought to have been fabricated or embroidered. Such children, when found, generally cannot communicate.

Rochom P'nieng was naked and filthy, with long, matted hair, when she was found stealing rice from a villager in Rattanakiri province. She speaks only in grunts and pats her stomach when hungry. Sal Lou, the man convinced that he is her father, said that when she was not asleep, "she just sits and glances left and right, left and right".

Sal Lou, 45, who lives in Oyado district, recognised the woman from a scar on her right arm. He has agreed to have a DNA sample taken from him and his wife to see whether they match hers.

The best-known feral child is probably Victor of Aveyron, who was found in woods near Toulouse, in southern France, in 1797. Believed to be about 12, he was studied by scientists, who tried without success to teach him to speak. His story inspired François Truffaut's film, L'Enfant Sauvage, in 1970.

Two Indian girls, Amala and Kamala, were discovered living in a wolves' den in India's Bengal jungle in 1920. They were being looked after by a she-wolf, along with two wolf clubs. They were about 18 months old and eight years, respectively, but were not sisters. They walked on all fours, refused to wear clothes and ate raw meat.

Such stories resonate, not only because they are extraordinary in themselves, but because of the richness of the theme in literature and mythology. The legend of Romulus and Remus was about twin brothers who were raised by wolves and went on to found Rome. The character Mowgli, created by Rudyard Kipling, was raised by wild animals in the jungle during the British Raj.

Rochom P'nieng, meanwhile, is finding it difficult to adjust to human society. Her father said that she had resisted washing, wearing clothes and using chopsticks. She had already tried once to return to the jungle. "It is not easy, but life is waiting for her," he said.