The man who spent 12 years of his childhood and adolescence in isolation in the mountains, living among wolves, has passed away.
The Spaniard, Marco Rodríguez Pantoja—whom many called the “wolf child” and others “Mowgli”—left behind an extraordinary story. From the age of seven, he learned to survive on his own in the Sierra Morena mountains, to find food, and to live alongside a pack of wolves.
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“My life went on thanks to the animals. I would howl, and the wolves would come to me. I always played with them and ate with them. We always had food because I ate many things from the mountain. Whatever the birds ate, I ate too.”
Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja
Born in Córdoba in 1946. The loss of his mother at a very young age and the abuse he later suffered at the hands of his stepmother forced his father to send him to the mountains to work alongside an elderly shepherd. The shepherd’s death shortly thereafter forced him to endure an extraordinary story of survival for the remainder of his youth until he reached adulthood.
At the age of 19, he was found by the Spanish Civil Guard and returned to society, and he stated that his adjustment was difficult, particularly when it came to communicating with people, since for years he had communicated using animal sounds.
His life was the subject of study by researchers as well as a source of inspiration for books and films.
The Spaniard passed away at the age of 80, having stated even in the final years of his life that he never stopped longing for life in the mountains.
Watch the report by Nasia Ioannou:
