Chuy, The Mexican Wolf Man

[CHILLIN]

A documentary will be released this month about Chuy, the Mexican man and his family who have thick growths of hair all over their body. Interesting story. Might be a long time before it arrives in the free to watch category.

Jesus Aceves was born with a rare condition that means he has thick hair all over his face. About 30 members of his family also have hypertrichosis making them almost certainly the hairiest family in human history. They feature in a documentary Chuy, The Wolf Man by film-maker Eva Aridjis which is being released in Mexico this month.

As a child, the thick, dark hair that covers his entire face quickly earned Aceves the nickname "The Little Wolf". He grew up in the small town of Loreto in north-west Mexico where, as a result of his appearance, his family was shunned by the local community.

By the age of 12 he had started travelling from city to city to work at fairgrounds. One summer he sold tickets for a Ferris wheel, another year he ran a stall where people popped balloons to win prizes. It was there that a circus owner spotted him.My life in the circus started when I was 13," Aceves says in Eva Aridjis's film, Chuy, The Wolf Man. The circus owner asked if any other family members had the same condition - and by this time Aceves' two younger cousins, Larry and Danny, had also been born with hypertrichosis.

"The man said he'd pay us well and said he wanted all of us. He said he would house us and there'd be money. I said, 'Yes.'"

The three boys were signed up by the circus and spent several years travelling around Mexico where they used to greet the audience and have their picture taken.

Accompanied by Aceves's mother, they always had somewhere comfortable to stay and plenty of food to eat but there was one thing that he didn't like.

"We were always locked up. They were presenting us as attractions so we couldn't be seen on the street. I didn't like that, being locked up so people wouldn't see us

"

Here are some details, including videos.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33978116

and an Australian report

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-wolf-man-jesus-chuy-aceves-subject-of-new-documentary/story-e6frfmvr-1227508682940