A 72-year-old man who was rescued from wolves in the woods some 53 years ago after having spent 12 years living with the wild animals says life with animals is a moment he often reminisces whenever humans treat him badly.
Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja from Añora, Cordoba in Spain lost his mother when he was three years old and the father also died shortly after.
He was then in the custody of another woman and had to become a sheepherder of a herd of about 300 sheep in the forest at age seven, when the main sheepherder died in 1954.
Born in 1946, Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja was rescued from the forest by Civil Guard when he turned 19 years.
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Having lived with wolves for 12 years, the man became comfortable in the forest and his verbal communication changed to spoken words with animal-like grunts, according to odditycentral.com.
Man raised by wolves says life among humans is disappointing
The news portal reported that the animals “taught him how to survive in the wild, which berries and mushrooms were safe to eat, and which were poisonous. He remembers sleeping in caves, among bats, snakes and deer, and running barefoot on rough terrain without a care in the world.”
Marcos Rodríguez is quoted as saying: “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.”
Man raised by wolves says life among humans is disappointing
Reports suggest that he attempted going back to the wolves in the forest, but the animals could not recognize him due to his transformation over the years.
He said “You can tell that they are right there, you hear them panting, it gives you goosebumps … but it’s not that easy to see them. 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 has now turned animal welfare activist who tells children about animals and sometimes he is invited to schools to educate students on the importance of the environment and the need to take special care of animals.