Bizarre stories exist of humans brought up by wild animals, but often they are pure fiction. It’s rare to find someone who re-entered society after living in the company of wild animals that is also able to talk coherently about his experiences – especially when it comes to sharing a meal with wolves.
How it all started
Marcos Rodriguez Pantoja, now 72, was dubbed “Mowgli of Spain.” He was adopted by a wolf pack when he was stranded in Spain’s Sierra Morena mountains at the age of seven, after his father sold him off to an old farmer to replace an aging goatherd who looked after 300 animals.
Marcos spent several months learning how to use fire to make utensils, until the old man suddenly died, leaving the seven-year-old all alone.
The mountain animals were his only company and just like Mowgli in "The Jungle Book," the wolf cubs accepted him as a brother. The wolf pack then taught him which berries, mushrooms, and root vegetables were good to eat.
According to the BBC, he also made friends with deer and snakes which followed him around as he fed them milk. The snake protected him from predators while he played with the deer. The years he spent in the mountains led to him developing very thick callouses -- which he sometimes used to break rocks.
Marcos was finally rescued by the Civil Guard at the age of 19.
He was seen running around barefoot and half-naked and could only communicate using grunts.
Adapting to the world
In a recent interview with BBC, the 72-year-old confessed that he feels disappointed with Human Life and struggles with the coldness of the Civilized World and wishes he could go back to living with the wolves.
When he arrived, he was specially cared for by seminarians.
They taught him how to do the basic things of life and even how to speak English. The former wolf boy acknowledged that he feels people still laugh at him because he has not been able to integrate properly into the civilized world.
Similar instances
There is a similar story of another real-life Mowgli who lived in the Romanian forests with wild dogs after running away from home because of his violent father.
After three years, he was rescued, suffering from severe malnutrition, rickets, and poor circulation. The incident was traumatic for him. Also, he preferred sleeping under a bed instead of on it.
What do you think about both of these stories? Could you see yourself living in the mountains among the wolves?
