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Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja was abandoned aged 7 and survived in the mountains. A wolf pack adopted and fed him and he ate the berried and roots animals did.

He was found 12 years later and forced back to society but struggled. Now aged 72 he lives in a small, cold house in Spain and wants to go back

A man raised by wolves for 12 years says his life in human society was a failure and he wishes he could go live among the animals again. Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja was adopted by a pack when he was stranded in Spain's Sierra Morena mountain range aged seven.

He was found as a 19-year-old running around only able to communicate by grunting and brought back to civilisation.

'I only wrapped my feet up when they hurt because of the snow. I had such big calluses on my feet that kicking a rock was like kicking a ball,' he told El Pais.

But now the 72-year-old lives in a small, cold house in Rante, Galicia, with only a meager pension after a tough life among humans. Mr Pantoja said even since he was ripped from the cave he called home his life went downhill as he was never fully able to reintegrate.


He claimed to have been cheated and abused, exploited by bosses in the hospitality and construction industries, and left with nothing. He survived by observing which berries and root vegetables animals ate and was eventually fed by a mother wolf who later adopted him.

She fed her cubs some meat which he tried to steal from one of the cubs but the mother pawed at him and growled until he backed off.


'After feeding her pups she threw me a piece of meat. 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,' he told the BBC in 2013.

'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.'


Returning to civilisation was the scariest experience of his life, first to an orphanage where the nuns taught him to walk up straight and eat at a table.

Responses to "Man raised by wolves for 12 years wishes he could return to the wild"

  1. Unknown says:

    love the story!!

  2. Unknown says:

    I would love to have lived with wolves like that!!!

  3. Lori says:

    a movie should be made of this man and his wolves adns perhaps he could use the money to open a reserve to protect them and once again live with them!

  4. Unknown says:

    I don't blame him a bit for wanting to go back! The cruelest beings on Earth are humans,I would rather be with wolves too!! They are beautiful, magnificent animals!!🐾💜

  5. cathy t says:

    such a beautiful story. the wolves saved his life. love it

  6. What did he wear all that time and how did he survive the cold winters strange story to me.

  7. Interesting story. So this happened in the 50's. Too bad he was found and exploited, abused and used by humans.

  8. Is this story true?

  9. Unknown says:

    I wish he could go back, too.

  10. Cris says:

    This story is true and there is already a movie about it, yeah.

  11. neache says:

    I envy this mans beautiful relationship with those that raised him in their world devoid of human treachery live long and prosper sir

  12. cathy t says:

    wow so amazing, why wont they let him return to the wild. it is his choice, he is happier with his wolf family

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