The Wildlife and Human Life in the Jungle

The mysterious jungle is known to be a home for many different species – and humans, unfortunately aren’t amongst them. In fact, when we hear the word jungle, we tend to run away from it as fast as possible. It sounds cozier to sit at home, watch tv and enjoy the luxuries of have a nice cup of hot cocoa on a Saturday afternoon. In our imagination, jungle is just a mini representation of what we’ve seen on the news or through entertainment websites. Our perception of this wild world is not exactly accurate, and a fearless man decided to explore it himself. He embarked on a wild life journey that almost resembles someone we’ve seen in fictional folklore – Does TARZAN ring any bells?

The question is, why did this man choose such a lifestyle? Living in wilderness, hunting in dangerous weather and swimming in crocodile infested waters? Well, one thing is sure, Michael Fomenko is not an ordinary man. So, let’s find out what happened from the beginning. Even though Michael’s latter life choices can be considered primitive, he had a luxurious upbringing. What do I mean? - He was part royalty. His father was a Cossack and his mother a Georgian Princess. His was born in the 1920s and had an older sibling – Inessa. Unfortunately, it was his family’s social status that would cause some problems in the family and that resulted in them fleeing Georgia. Due to the political situation at the time, they were desperate for better living conditions, so they had to escape.

Poverty became an issue quite fast, and the family needed to survive, so they took all the valuable things they had, sold them, forged their identifications, and the whole family embarked on a journey of survival. At the time, they hired Chinese bandits, to help them get across the boarded and get in a Chinese region called Manchuria. They travelled on foot for about a month, going all the way through the vast Siberian Taiga pine forest. But things were still dangerous for them, so they hit during the day and walked in the evening. Finally, they made it in China, and settled there for a few years until they were able to get back on their feet. Unfortunately, safety was still an issue for them in China, so the family had decided to move to Japan, which was relatively safer. The moved on the countryside around Kobe, and that was when Michael started to fall in love with nature. He began spending more time outdoors than he did indoors and this time it was his choice. Both Michael and his sister enjoyed laying on violet beds in the spring, walk in nature and embrace the carefree side of life.

A few years went by and Daniel Fomenko, the father of Michael, decided that it’d be safer to move the family again, because he suspected that a political conflict was about to happen, and he didn’t want his family to be part of that. So, they packed once again, and they headed South. This time, they moved to Sydney in Australia, and they restarted their lives more hopeful. Michael’s dad, Daniel, took a job as a headmaster at a very prestigious school in Sydney and Michael and his sister were both students there. But, you see, because of their previous experiences and lifestyle, the found it hard to fit in. They couldn’t relate with the other kids, they couldn’t communicate with them, and the language barrier was a real issue.

Michael’s previous experiences affected him more than his sister; - it wasn’t that he struggled, it was just that he enjoyed spending time alone in nature rather than other peoples company. Michael was also quite the athlete, - in fact, he was a star athlete. His athletic skill had helped him to become a celebrated decathlete, and his awarded state medals kept pilling on. He made winning marathons look like a piece of cake for him. He kept getting better and better at it, that he almost represented Australia in the 1957 Olympics, but no-one had predicted what he would do next.

You see, despite his success in the athletic field, Michael never really felt like he belonged, and his need for isolation became stronger. His father had introduced him to The Odyssey, and he began to feel like the protagonist of the book – Odysseus; who endured on a 10-year journey at sea filled with alienation. This was a concept that Michael could easily relate to, and it influenced his latter life choices as well. He loved exploring nature and soon enough, he began to disassociate himself from material possessions. His mindset had changed and his outlook towards life had evolved alongside his appearance. He stopped dressing in uncomfortable clothing and he stopped cutting and combing his hair. That was when he started becoming the real-life Tarzan.

Slowly and gradually Michael moved closer and closer to the jungle until he became a full-time resident there. He didn’t have any bills to pay, rent due or even a boss to report to – it was just him and wildlife. His daily to-do list had only task on it to complete, and that was his survival. – And it was as challenging as it could get. The Queensland rainforest was filled with undiscoverable mysteries hiding in every corner, and Michael had managed to leave harmoniously in this newfound happiness of his. Unlike the fictional Tarzan, Michael struggled a little bit to survive at the beginning. You see, Australian jungles have numerous potential dangers; and to an inexperienced person like Michael, they could be life-threatening.

The waters were filled with piranhas and hungry crocodiles, the plants were covered in deadly spiders and let’s not even mention the thirsty mosquitos praying on anything that’s moving. Finding clean water to drink and food to eat would be the least of your worries if you lived there. In fact, the opposite happened. During a stormy night, he almost became a crocodile’s meal, but thankfully a few locals showed up and saved him right at the last moment. – Now that was a miracle.

One day in 1964, the local police station near a town in Queensland forest received a phone call that an almost naked man was spotted wondering in the streets. The police responded pretty quickly, and after a lengthy chase, Michael got arrested. While he was in custody, the police had to decide what they needed to do with him, but his behavior was not helping the situation. You see, due to the time he had spent in the forest, it seems like he was acting quite…wildly – just like Tarzan would. So, the police decided to admit him in a mental institution where he would be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Now, the doctors reached the conclusion that he was clinically insane, but in reality, he just had spent a bit too much time in the wilderness and he forgot how humans behave.

After a short time, the doctors in the mental institution decided to do a complicated treatment to stop him behaving like a “barbarian” - if you will and start behaving like a civilized human being. But, you see, Michael decided to be part of the jungle for a reason. And what doctors didn’t understand at the time, was that his “barbaric” Tarzanian behavior, wasn’t because he was suffering from a mental illness, but it was just his choice. After years of trying ineffective treatments, doctors had finally given up and Michael was free again.

Right after that, Michael returned to the place he called home, the Australian Jungle. But this time, he had learned his lesson and he was smarter about it. In 1966, he joined the Australian Aboriginals, and that was the best choice he could have ever made at the time because he remained with the aboriginals and lived off the land for more than 50 years. Until 2012, you see this rebellious man started getting too old to hunt, make his own weapons, swim fast and run ever faster. So, he was admitted to an Age Care Facility where he lived the rest of his days quietly.

It is clear that Michael loved nature and all of its mysteries, but he also made unexpected appearances in the outside world, just to stock up on some supplies that they needed at the time. He was also quite the prankster as well. He would wait up on trees and jump on passing trucks to scare the passengers. Even though, he didn’t want to be part of society, he still enjoyed being in minor contact with it. And, just like Tarzan, nature and wildlife were his home. It made him feel like he finally belonged, and he felt safer in it.

Michael became a local legend, the story that the real-life Tarzan that was living in the depths of the Queensland forest excited everyone and since he was getting famous around the area, people started to recognize him. It wasn’t until 2012, when he joined the age care facility that everyone started noticing that he was gone from the streets and that he disappeared. The communities around the area, started showing their concerns about what happened to Michael. And until they found out that he was in an age care facility, they were very keen on finding him. – That goes to show, that even though he didn’t know it, he had an impact on people’s lives.

So, what do you think can cause someone to escape society, reject all their material possessions and live off the land for more than half a century? Do you think that surviving was less stressful for Michael than living in society? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned something new today, then give this video a like and share it with a friend. But – hey! – don’t go in the forest yet! We have over 2,000 cool videos for you to check out. All you have to do is pick the left or right video, click on it, and enjoy! Stay on the Bright Side of life!