Tales should remain fairy tales, but each story has its own share of truth, a certain part that was written on the basis of real events. Mowgli - a child of the wild, raised by wolves, best friends: panther and bear. It seems that such a similar situation cannot happen in our present and multi-computerized world. In fact, there was such a similar situation, which was talked about a lot and loudly in the nineties of the last century. Not sure who Tippi Degre is and why she is known around the world?
Famous girl
Life stories always fascinate the soul, especially when it comes to the fate of a child who had a childhood not typical of modern man. The story of the little girl Tippi Degre was spoken about a decade ago, a book was written about her adventures, which was subsequently translated into many languages of the world, six documentaries were made, which became bestsellers. The story of a modern Mowgli child will melt every heart. Detailed moments of the biography of the little girl, her childhood among the jungle, her subsequent return to her homeland in France and interesting facts from her already adult life, as well as photos of Tippi Degre will be presented for review below.
The beginning of the story
The parents of the baby, whose names are Alan and Sylvia, worked as photographers. They had an excursion to Africa, after which it was decided to stay for some time in the Kalahari desert, which is located at the intersection of the borders of Botswana, Namibia and West Africa. The girl Tippi was born in 1990 in Namibia, she was named after an American actress. The second name, which was given according to the tradition of the tribe, is Ocanti, which means “mongoose”. After her birth, the Degre family went to live in the Botswana Nature Reserve. The climate in this area is warmer, and the percentage of humidity is less. In such an environment, the girl is more comfortable to grow. After some time, the family moved to Madagascar.
Search for friends among the wild world
The girl grew up surrounded by wild animals, dreamed of becoming Tarzan. As modern children quickly get used to endless streams of cars, tall skyscrapers, computer equipment, shops, cafes and restaurants, so Tippi Degre felt fine among the desert, numerous wild animals, palm trees and Aboriginal people, considered friendship with a zebra, leopard, elephant and ostrich the most ordinary, loyal, correct and free. She gave a name to each close friend, talked with them, helped, and she never had a hint of fear.
The elephant was called Abu, the lion - Methus, the leopard - JB, the ostrich - Linda. As her parents told, the animals never tried to harm Tippi, only once a meerkat bit her nose, and a baboon named Cindy robbed her of a bundle of hair, thus showing her envy. The most difficult and dangerous friend was the leopard JB, whom local photographers could capture on film only when he was in a cage. Tippi was able to tame the animal, and they became the closest friends, spent a lot of time together, and there was no aggression on his part. The most friendly and loving was the old elephant Abu, who loved to ride a girl on himself, watered water from his trunk, and she laughed merrily and was not afraid to run at his huge legs. The elephant was very fond of the girl when she was sleeping, standing or sitting near her and drove off flies that could, in his opinion, disturb her sleep.
No fear
Local residents taught the girl to communicate in their language, told how to hunt, perform traditional rituals, live side by side with the wild world. The baby talked not only with animals, but also with Aboriginal children, who also taught Tippi a lot.
Year after year, living in the heart of the wild world, the girl achieved the location of the animals and herself found a common language with them. Sylvia - Tippi Degre's mother - assured that fear never appeared in her thoughts, she boldly left her daughter alone with animals, watching her from the side. According to the mother, the daughter had the happiest childhood, it is a joy to spend her best carefree years in the wild.
Nomadic life in search of the best photos
The stories of the parents, which are described in books and films, were based on daily walks by the whole family in the wild, a little daughter always accompanied them in the search for beautiful photographs. In the eyes of the child, the wild world, which is filled with danger and fear, turned out to be a home where you don’t have to run away from animals, don’t turn your back on them, but treat them like your friends, studying habits and natural instincts.
Her living conditions can be called nomadic, the Degre family lived in tents, stayed with local Aboriginal people, moved around the African desert year after year.
As a result, the girl assured that she understood the language of animals, it was with the help of glances, gestures, body movements that she always knew that she was trying to tell her this or that animal. She compared this kind of ability with the skills of writing or ordinary speech. An important aspect of communication: calm, if the animal feels calm, that he is relaxed and does not feel fear, he will also not be afraid and will seek to establish contact.
Back to Paris to bustling modernity
When Tippi celebrated her decade, the Degre family returned to France to a familiar lifestyle. The period of the baby’s getting used to the usual urban environment among people was difficult and slow. The girl quickly found a common language with animals than with people. Africa with its amazing nature has remained in the heart of Tippy forever. Adult Tippi Degre went to school, but could not establish contact with European students. Parents decided to transfer her to home schooling.
Misunderstanding current trends
The Mowgli child did not like life in the city bustle, she believed that it was too dirty, noisy, crowded, unlike the nature of Africa. The girl gave preference to water, rather than advertised carbonated drinks, tried as much as possible to create around herself the old world that she missed so much.
The young girl continued to live memories, dreams of that unforgettable life, about Africa. The creative person dreamed of learning how to make films herself and show everyone the wild, untouched life of the modern world. Tippi entered the University of Sorbonne, where she studied the art of cinema. Already quite an adult woman, Tippy wants to return to Africa forever.
Recklessness or an informed decision?
If there is no desire to find out through literature who Tippi Degre is and why many admire her skills and ability to communicate with animals, it is worth watching a film about a cute fearless girl. For ten years, parents took photos of their daughter, and also shot videos of her and animal communication. Unique photos and films became the basis for writing numerous books and filming films. Without a doubt, many residents of modern megalopolises did not share the opinions of their parents, they believed that they had acted recklessly, having moved to live in a nature reserve where the girl talked only with animals, they believed that there was more danger than good. However, the adult Tippi Degre, whose photo is posted below, claimed that in fact there were absolutely no wild animals nearby, communication between animals and people in the reserve was normal, therefore, people had no fear of the animal world.
Filmography
In 1997, Christian Edge, known for his success in directing, directed the documentary "Tippy from Africa." The film about the real "Mowgli" melted the hearts of the audience, people were interested in the girl and her fate. In 2004, 6 episodes of a documentary film called “From Tippy Around the World, ” commissioned by Discovery, were released. Tippi herself returned to the continent to take part in the filming. Films with Tippi Degre either surprised me with their unique shots, sometimes fascinated with carelessness and dangerous moments.
Role in a famous show
Tippi has become popular since childhood, but in modern times, many viewers recognize her as a tamer and tiger keeper in the popular game show Fort Boyard, which takes place off the coast of France.
The famous French show appeared on television in the year Tippi -1990 was born, numerous participants from different countries of the world took part in it for 28 years. The stone fort of the early nineteenth century hides the treasures that participants must find after passing a series of tests aimed at overcoming themselves and their fears. But not only muscles and dexterity play a major role, it is important to be smart and solve all the riddles and clues of the Elder Fur. At the end of the game, teams need to transfer the maximum number of gold coins that are near the tiger cages in a short time, otherwise, after the lapse of time, the cells open, everyone risks being among the dangerous animals. Tippi Degre is responsible for protecting the team from tigers. In Fort Boyard, she monitors the behavior of dangerous predators, tames them and prevents them from approaching the participants of the show.
