On September 5, a mysterious young man reportedly wandered into Berlin City Hall in Germany. The first words he spoke were in English and with a curious accent. He simply stated, “I’m alone in the world. I don’t know who I am. Please help me.”
He told an English-speaking city employee that he thought his name was Ray, and that he had spent the last five years living in a forest with his father, who had recently died as the result of injuries from a fall. Although the authorities are searching through missing person reports the identity of the “forest boy” is still a mystery.
Story from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14950656//:
“We have sent appeals for help to all European countries via Interpol… We really have no idea where he comes from,” says Michael Maas, a spokesman for the Berlin police.
The Daily Telegraph reported that: “He seemed calm, not scared at all, but quiet. He said he had been told to go to Berlin if he ever needed help and had taken several weeks to walk here.”
He arrived at City Hall wearing some winter clothes and carrying a backpack containing a tent, sleeping bag and some survival tools, including a compass.
The Police said he later described how he and his father had been living in a forest for “at least five years” following the death of his mother in a car crash. The boy bore some scars on his legs, suggesting that he may have been involved in the crash, but he was very shy about showing the scars or explaining them.
The boy told authorities that he buried his father in a shallow grave in the forest before heading into civilization. He claims to have been given a compass and instructed to walk north, to Berlin, if anything bad ever happened.
The boy was initially described as disheveled, but in good physical health. He has since moved into a youth shelter, where he is “having difficulty sleeping in a proper bed,” and finds soap and running water “unsettling,” according to reports.
The boy’s story is amazing, if it is true. And the Berlin authorities are calling the story “credible”.
Could He Have Survived As He Says?
The weather around Berlin is what you might expect from mainland continental Europe, with cold winters and temperatures often dipping below zero Fahrenheit. Frost and snow are common. The summers can be hot and sunny, with quick shifts in the mountainous terrain.
The wildlife of Europe is surprisingly similar to North America, with many nutritious wild plants, fish and game animals. From eating trout, rabbit, game birds, high-calorie nuts like the local walnuts and acorns, and maybe even the occasional deer, someone could get enough calories to survive in the wild. Plenty of our ancestors managed to pull it off.
Europe is home to many familiar plants, too. Dandelion, chickory, plantain and many other American weeds are actually native to Europe. So the food is there, the real questions are – did he know about the local edibles and use them? And was he really out there as long as he claims?
We’ll keep you posted as the story unfolds.
Let us know in the comments if you think the story is legit, and if you could have pulled this off.