Sunjit Kumar

Sunjit Kumar is a man who was raised as a chicken for over 30 years of his life.

A native of Suva, Fiji, Kumar was locked in a chicken coop as a young boy and on the death of his father was handed over to his grandfather. He received little to no attention during this time and mimicked birds as a result. Kumar escaped and the staff at a local hospital was unsure how to treat him and confined him for 20 years, tied to his bed for most of it.

In 2004 with Kumar aged 32, Elizabeth Clayton discovered him and it was found that he suffered no mental defects and his condition was due to the years and years of neglect and abuse, concluding that Kumar adapted to life as a chicken, mimicking them by perching, picking at food, hopping about, even mannerisms and speech was all chickenlike.

Since Clayton took over care of Kumar, she claims he has made much progress, now learning to walk and speak like a human.

External links

• NBC News report has photos and a video
• tvnz.co.nz news some more details