BBC News Online: World: Americas

'Dog child' rescued

In Chile, an 11-year-old boy who had been living wild with a pack of dogs has been rescued by authorities and taken to hospital.

The child, who has severe physical and psychiatric health problems, had been surviving by drinking the milk of a female dog, who was the pack leader, and scavenging for food.

When found, he was severely malnourished and unable to form words normally.

He is known as Alex although the local press have nicknamed him the "dog child".

Violent

He had been living with a large group of the animals on the outskirts of a port city in southern Chile.

Authorities say he is extremely violent.

When local police tried to take him in he hurled himself into the sea in an effort to escape and had to be treated for hypothermia.

It is thought he had been living this way for a number of months.

Given his acute mental troubles, Alex is due to be transferred to a child psychiatric unit in the Chilean capital Santiago within the next few days.