Monday Interview Series: Mowgli

A couple of months back, we interviewed Tarzan. This week, we'll be speaking with another son of the jungle, Mowgli from The Jungle Book. Luckily, Mowgli was in the area on a Disney movie tour, so we didn't have to hike on out to the Indian jungle. Let's check out what he had to say.

Greg:  Hi Mowgli, thanks for stopping by. So, you're on a publicity tour for Disney?

Mowgli:  Yes, they are re-releasing the movie, so I'm making some appearances to the 45th anniversary of the film.

Greg:  Really? That's not something that I would have thought you'd go for.

Mowgli:  Well, normally, you would be correct, but times are tough. The jungles in India are rapidly disappearing. There's not much room to roam, so I thought that if I'd have to return to the man village, I would do it on my own terms and see a little bit of the world.

Greg: Okay, fair enough. Now, I know your basic history, that your parents were killed in the jungle in a tiger attack, and that you were raised by wolves. What was it like to be raised in a wolf pack.

Mowgli:  It was a great way to grow up--definitely better than growing up in the man village. I got to run with the pack, and pull thorns from their paws. I could out stare any wolf in the pack, and I was a really good hunter.

Greg:  Didn't they give you a nickname?

Mowgli:  Uh huh. They called me Frog because I did not have any hair and I moved around a lot.

Greg:  It sounds like you had a great time in the jungle. Were there any drawbacks?

Mowgli:  There were not. Oh, except for Shere Khan, the tiger. He thought I belonged to him, but the wolf pack would not surrender me. After that, he was always plotting to kill me. He caused me a lot of trouble, but finally, I discovered a weapon that he could not withstand.

Greg:  And what was that?

Mowgli:  Fire. Shere Khan was deathly afraid of it. I used it to herd him into a ravine, then I stampeded some buffalo to trample him. That is--how do the manthings say--oh yes, that is how we roll in the jungle.

Greg:  Uh, yes, I guess that's how we'd say it. Shere Khan sounds like a formidable enemy. Did you have any friends?

Mowgli:  The wolves were my friends and pack mates, but I also made other friends. There was Baloo, for one. He was my teacher and friend. He was a very wise bear who taught me all about the law of the jungle.

Then there was Bagheera, the black panther. He was raised as a captive of the manthings, and knows a great deal about their ways. It was he who told me about the fire. He and Baloo saved me from the monkeys once.

Greg:  All in all, it sounds like a fun and interesting life in the jungle. Thank you for spending some time with us.  Hopefully, we'll be able to preserve some of it so that you won't have to travel around promoting movies all the time.

Mowgli:  I hope so. I much prefer the regular jungle. Here, there aren't any trees, and the concrete jungle hurts my feet.