Man raised by wolves in a cave for 12 years 'disappointed with human life'...

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A man who was raised by wolves in a cave for 12 years has admitted that he feels disappointed with human life.

Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja was dubbed the Mowgli of Spain when he was found by authorities.

But the former wolf boy says he struggles with the coldness of the human world and wishes he could go back to living with the animals.

He told the BBC: "I didn't know where to go - I just wanted to escape to the mountains."

Rodríguez was 19 when he was discovered living in Spain's Sierra Morena mountain range.

He had been living among wolves for 12 years and was found running around barefoot and half-naked - only using grunts for communication.


But the now 72-year-old lives in a small, cold house and said his last happy memories are of his childhood with the animals, El Pais reports.

Rodríguez found himself living with the wolves when he was left without parents.

His mother passed away when he was three and his dad went to live with another woman.

They took him to the mountains to replace a goatherd who looked after 300 animals - but while he was taught how to make a fire and utensils, the man disappeared or died leaving seven-year-old Rodríguez alone.

The mountain's animals were his only company and just like in the Jungle Book story, the wolf cubs accepted him as a brother.

A she-wolf fed him and he slept in a cave alongside bats, snakes and deer.

The wolves even taught him how to survive and which berries and mushrooms were safe to eat.


He said: "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.

"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."

But after Rodríguez was found by the Civil Guard and brought into the human world, he says his life has fallen apart.

He says he has been cheated, abused and exploited in the working world and has never truly been able to integrate with other humans.
He said: "One day I went into a cave and started to play with wolf cubs that lived here and fell asleep. Later, the mother brought food for them and I woke up," the BBC reports.

"The wolf started to rip the meat apart. A cub got close to me and I tried to steal his food because I was hungry as well. The mother pawed at me. I backed off."

But he says after feeding her pups she threw him a piece of meat.