Now, in our imagination, the “jungle”
is just a mini representation of what we’ve seen on the news, movies or through entertainment
websites. Our perception of this wild world isn’t
exactly accurate, and one fearless man decided to explore it himself. He embarked on a wild journey that almost
resembles someone we’ve seen in fictional folklore – Does the name TARZAN ring any
bells? The mysterious jungle is known to be the home
of many different species – and humans, unfortunately, aren’t among 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 our everyday luxuries, like a nice cup of hot cocoa on a Saturday afternoon. So the question is: why did this man choose
such a lifestyle? Living in the wilderness, hunting in dangerous
weather and swimming in crocodile infested waters? Well, one thing is for sure, Michael Fomenko
is no ordinary man. So, let’s find out what happened from the
beginning. Even though Michael’s latter life choices
could be considered primitive, he had a luxurious upbringing. What do I mean? Well, he was part royalty. His father was a Cossack and his mother, a
Georgian Princess. He was born in the 1920s, and had an older
sibling – Inessa. Unfortunately, it was his family’s social
status that would cause some problems for them, resulting in the family 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 that the family had
to face. And to survive, they took all the valuable
things they had, sold them, forged their identifications, and embarked on a journey of survival. At the time, they hired Chinese bandits to
help them get across the border and get to the Chinese region called Manchuria. They travelled on foot for about a month,
going all the way through a vast Siberian pine forest. But things were still dangerous for them,
so they hid during the day, and walked in the evening. Finally, they made it to China, and settled
there for a few years until they were able to get back on their feet. Unfortunately, safety was still an issue in
China, so the family decided to move to Japan, which was more secure. They moved to the countryside around Kobe,
and that was when Michael started to fall in love with nature. He began spending more time outdoors than
indoors, and this time it was his choice. Both Michael and his sister enjoyed laying
on beds of violets in the spring, walking in nature, and embracing the carefree side
of life. A few years went by, and Michael’s father
decided that it’d be safer to move the family again. 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, Australia,
and they restarted their lives with more hope. Michael’s dad took a job as the 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, they found it hard to fit in. They couldn’t relate with the other kids. And they couldn’t communicate with them;
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 helped him to become a
celebrated decathlete; and his state medals kept piling up. He made winning marathons look like a piece
of cake. He was so good at it, in fact, that he almost
represented Australia in the 1957 Olympics. But no one could predict what he would do
next. You see, despite his success on the athletic
field, Michael still never really felt like he belonged, and his need for isolation only
became stronger. His father had introduced him to The Odyssey,
and he began to feel like the protagonist of the book – Odysseus, who endured 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. Soon enough, he began to disassociate himself
from material possessions for the sake of exploring nature. His mindset had changed, and his outlook towards
life had evolved, along with his appearance. He stopped dressing in uncomfortable clothes
and stopped cutting and combing his hair. That was the beginning of his transformation
into 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 the wildlife. His daily to-do list had only one task on
it, and that was his survival. And even just that was as challenging as it
could get. The Queensland rainforest was filled with
undiscoverable mysteries hiding in every corner, and Michael managed to live harmoniously with
his surroundings in this newfound way of life. Unlike the fictional Tarzan, Michael struggled
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
minute. Now that was a miracle. One day, in 1964, the local police station
near a town in the Queensland jungle received a phone call that an almost naked man was
spotted wondering in the streets. The police responded quickly, and after a
lengthy chase, Michael was 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
jungle, he was acting wild – just like Tarzan would. So, the police decided to admit him to a mental
institution, where he would be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Now, the doctors reached the conclusion that
he was clinically insane, but, he’d just spent a bit too much time in the wilderness
and forgot how humans behave. After a short time, the doctors in the mental
institution decided to do a complicated treatment to stop him from behaving like a “barbarian”. But, you see, Michael decided to be part of
the jungle for a reason. And what the doctors didn’t understand at
the time, was that his “barbaric”, Tarzanian behavior, wasn’t due to mental illness;
it was just his choice. After years of trying ineffective treatments,
doctors finally gave up, and Michael was free again. Right after that, Michael returned to the
place he called home, the Australian Jungle. But this time, he’d learned his lesson and
was smarter about it. In 1966, he joined the Australian Aboriginals,
and that was the best choice he could’ve made at the time, because he remained with
the aboriginals, and lived off the land, for more than 50 years. At that point, the rebellious man started
getting too old to hunt, make his own weapons, swim fast and run. So, he was admitted to an Age Care Facility
in 2012, where he lived the rest of his days quietly. It’s clear that Michael loved nature and
all its mysteries, but he also made unexpected appearances in the outside world, just to
stock up on supplies. He was also quite the prankster as well. He would wait up in trees and jump on passing
trucks to scare the passengers. Even though he didn’t want to be part of
society, he still enjoyed having some 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 about the real-life Tarzan living
in the depths of the Queensland jungle 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 noticed that he was gone from the streets, and had seemingly
disappeared. The communities around the area started voicing
their concerns about what happened to Michael. And until they finally found out where he
was, they were pretty keen on looking for 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 would 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 escaping to the
jungle just yet! Why? We have over 2,000 cool videos for you to
check out. And there’s no internet in the jungle. All you have to do is pick the left or right
video, click on it, and enjoy! Stay on the Bright Side of life!
