Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja, a man who spent what he described as his "12 most beautiful years" living with wolves in rural Spain, has died at the age of 80. He passed away on August 15.
Pantoja's unusual life began at age seven when he was sent to the Sierra Morena mountain range in 1954 to herd goats following the death of his mother and his father's abandonment. The man teaching him his duties either died or left, leaving Pantoja stranded and alone.
He survived by observing animal behavior to identify edible berries and roots. According to his accounts, a mother wolf eventually fed him scraps and later adopted him as one of her own, sharing caves and sleeping with him. He also formed a companionship with a snake, which he fed goat's milk.
In 1965, at the age of 19, Pantoja was discovered by Civil Guards. He had spent 12 years in isolation, communicating only through grunts. The discovery marked the beginning of his difficult transition back into human society.
His return to civilization was disorienting. He was taken to an orphanage where nuns taught him basic human behaviors like walking upright, speaking, and eating at a table. Callouses on his feet were removed, and he required a wheelchair for a period. He found the sounds of cars and crowds terrifying and resisted sleeping in a bed.
Afterward, Pantoja moved to Mallorca, where he worked in the hospitality industry and completed military service. However, he struggled to adapt to societal norms and was allegedly taken advantage of financially due to his limited understanding of social and economic systems. He recounted in a 2018 interview his disappointment with human nature and a desire to return to the wilderness.
Pantoja attempted to revisit his former mountain home, only to find it transformed with cottages and electric gates. The wolves no longer recognized him, keeping their distance due to his human scent and cologne.
His remarkable story was the subject of the 2010 Spanish film 'Among Wolves'.