Tippi Degre was more like the Mowgli portrayed in the animated version of the Jungle Book, and not the character in the real-life version or how a human would actually develop if raised by animals (or wolves, as they say). Now 23, the French woman was born in Africa and spent much of her first ten years there, playing with the animals her parents photographed for a living. Her childhood pictures and videos depict a shirtless young girl with cloth-shorts and a special fearlessness around animals.

In a slide of shots on naturely.org, Tippi (named after an actress, not a "teepee") is shown riding the trunk of an elephant, hugging a giant frog as if it was a stuffed animal, cuddling with a lion cub, riding an ostrich like it was a horse and she was in the backcountry of upscale New England, and expressing ticklish delight when the tongue of what looks to be a dangerous snake nears her cheek. In one picture she's standing on the back of an elephant, wind through her hair and hands stretched as she successfully explores the full range of her gifts.

The video is even more revealing. It starts with a few of the usual shots, her licking the beak of a predatory bird and digging next to some sort of small mammal. Quickly, however, we begin to see just how deeply Tippi understands animals and how potentially dangerous her interactions could have been without that connection. We see a few ambiguous scenes in which a zebra is either playing roughly with Tippi or mildly attacking her. A large African cat (a leopard or a cheetah) gently bites her shoulder in a later clip, while another cat suddenly flips on its back in another scene -- to Tippi's controlled surprise.

As much as Tippi connected with the animals of Namibia, she also bonded with the native peoples, learning their language and their survival skills.

A 150-page book written by Degre and her two parents was published in 1996, and, as her story has gained increased attention (Buzzfeed called her the "real life Cady Heron"), it was re-published and updated in 2012 (Degre is now the only listed author).

Since leaving Africa, Degre has returned several times to make nature documentaries for the Discovery Channel. She's also helped control tigers for a popular game show.