Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja was raised by wolves in a cave for 12 years before he was discovered – but the 72-year-old says his life among humans has been a disappointment
Marcos Rodr’guez Pantoja spent 12 years living with wolves(Image: bbc.co.uk)
A man who spent 12 years being raised by wolves in a cave has confessed he feels let down by human existence.
Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja earned the nickname the Mowgli of Spain when authorities discovered him.
However, the former wolf boy says he finds the harshness of the human world difficult and longs to return to life amongst the animals.
He told the BBC: “I didn’t know where to go – I just wanted to escape to the mountains.”
Rodríguez was 19 when he was found living in Spain’s Sierra Morena mountain range, reports the Mirror.
He had been living amongst wolves for 12 years and was discovered running about barefoot and semi-clothed – communicating only through grunts.
Marcos communicated only through grunts(Image: bbc.co.uk)
Yet the now 72-year-old lives in a tiny, chilly home and claims his final joyful memories are from his youth with the creatures, El Pais reports.
Rodríguez ended up living with the wolves after losing both parents.
His mother died when he was three and his father moved in with another woman.
They brought him to the mountains to take over from a goatherd who tended 300 animals – but while he learnt how to create fire and tools, the man vanished or died leaving seven-year-old Rodríguez abandoned.
He was left alone at just seven(Image: bbc.co.uk)
The mountain’s creatures became his sole companions and just like in the Jungle Book tale, the wolf cubs welcomed him as kin.
A female wolf nursed him and he rested in a cave with bats, snakes and deer.
The wolves also showed him how to endure and which berries and mushrooms were edible.
He explained: “One day I went into a cave and started to play with wolf cubs that lived here and fell asleep. Later, the mother brought food for them and I woke up,” the BBC reports.
“The wolf started to rip the meat apart. A cub got close to me and I tried to steal his food because I was hungry as well. The mother pawed at me. I backed off.”
He now lives in a tiny home, which resembles a cave(Image: bbc.co.uk)
However, he claims that after feeding her young, she tossed him a piece of meat.
He recalled: “I didn’t want to touch it because I thought she was going to attack me, but she was pushing the meat with her nose.
“I took it, ate it, and thought she was going to bite me, but she put her tongue out, and started to lick me. After that I was one of the family.”
Yet after Rodríguez was discovered by the Civil Guard and returned to human society, he claims his life has completely unravelled.
He maintains he has been deceived, mistreated and taken advantage of in the workplace and has never genuinely managed to fit in with other people.
Marcos spends as much time in nature as he can(Image: bbc.co.uk)
He also believes others mock him because he knows little about politics or football or contemporary life.
He said: “I think they laugh at me because I don’t know about politics or soccer.”
And while he has attempted to go back to the mountains, he says it’s no longer the same and the wolves don’t remember him.
Speaking to El Pais he explained: “There are wolves and if I call out to them they are going to respond, but they are not going to approach me.
“I smell like people, I wear cologne.”
He says he’s found human life difficult(Image: bbc.co.uk)
In 2010 a film ‘Among Wolves’ was released based on Rodríguez’s life and numerous studies have been carried on him.
He even claims he can still replicate the sounds of the deer, fox and eagles – along with other creatures.
However, he says while he had to adapt to eating with cutlery and sleeping in a bed, one of the most disturbing aspects for him was the commotion and activity of community life.
He said: “I could not cope with so much noise, the cars, and people going back and forwards like ants. But at least ants all go in the same direction. People went everywhere. I was scared of crossing the road.”
He now lives in a small house, with cave-like low ceilings which is filled with memorabilia and drawings.
He also has a patio brimming with plants and flowers to help him feel as though he is in the wild.