Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja — the Spanish man who spent 12 years living among wolves in the remote Sierra Morena mountains — died Aug. 15, in Ourense, Galicia, at the age of 80. Known widely as the ‘Wolf Man of Sierra Morena’, Rodríguez Pantoja captured global attention for an extraordinary childhood shaped not by human society, but by wild nature.

Born in 1946 in Añora, a small village in Córdoba province, southern Spain, Rodríguez Pantoja lost his mother during childbirth when he was just three years old. His father, described as abusive and emotionally distant, abandoned him soon after to start a new life with another woman. At age seven, he began working as a goatherd in the rugged Sierra Morena range in the province of Jaén — a region known for its dense forests, steep terrain, and historically present wolf populations.

His mentor, an elderly shepherd, taught him essential survival skills: how to make fire, find edible plants and clean water, and craft simple tools. When the shepherd died suddenly in 1954, the boy — then only about 10 — was left completely alone in the wilderness. With no adult guidance or shelter, he survived by closely observing local wildlife: learning which berries and roots were safe to eat, mimicking animal behaviour, and adapting to the rhythms of the natural world.

It was during this time that he encountered a female wolf — later described by him as the turning point of his life. In a 2013 interview with the BBC, he recalled how she first offered him raw meat after feeding her pups: “She threw me a piece of meat. I didn’t want to touch it — I thought she’d attack me — but she kept nudging it toward me with her nose.” He ate it. “She approached, licked him — and from that moment,” he said, “I became part of the family.”

The pack accepted him fully. They shared food — including scraps from their hunts — and allowed him to sleep beside them in caves. He learned to communicate through growls and howls, hunted rabbits and fished in rivers, and even claimed that when he wanted larger prey like deer, he would howl and the wolves would drive animals toward him. He also befriended a snake, which reportedly followed him after he fed it goat’s milk.

In 1965, at age 19, Rodríguez Pantoja was discovered by Spain’s Guardia Civil — wandering barefoot, partially clad in animal skins, communicating only through guttural sounds, and bearing calloused feet from years of walking over rocky terrain. Officers forcibly removed him from the mountains; he screamed and bit at them in protest.

He was placed in an orphanage run by nuns, where he relearned basic human behaviours: walking upright, sitting at a table, using cutlery, and speaking Spanish again. Later, he described reintegration into modern society as the most terrifying experience of his life — overwhelmed by car horns, crowds, electric lights, and even the simple act of visiting a barber.

Rodríguez Pantoja went on to live a quiet life, occasionally giving interviews and participating in documentaries—including the acclaimed 2010 film “Entrelobos” (“Among Wolves”), inspired by his story. His life remains a poignant testament to human resilience, adaptability, and the deep, often unspoken bonds between people and the natural world.

马科斯·罗德里格斯·潘托哈 ——这位曾在偏远山区与狼群共同生活了12年的西班牙男子 —— 于8月15日在加利西亚自治区奥伦塞市去世，享年80岁。他被称为“莫雷纳山脉的狼孩”，其非同寻常的童年引发了全球关注。

1946年，罗德里格斯·潘托哈出生于西班牙南部科尔多瓦省的一个小村庄。三岁时，母亲便因分娩去世。他的父亲粗暴且情感冷漠，不久后就遗弃了他，与另一名女子开始了新生活。七岁那年，他开始在莫雷纳山脉地区做牧羊童，这片区域森林茂密，地形陡峭，狼群出没。

一位年迈的牧羊人教会了他基本的生存技能，包括如何生火、寻找可食用的植物和清洁的水源，以及制作简易工具。1954年，老牧羊人突然离世，年仅十岁的他被孤零零地留在了山上。一开始，潘托哈观察动物们吃哪些水果蔬菜，靠有样学样活了下来。

后来他遇到了一头母狼，这成为他人生的转折点。在2013年接受BBC采访时，他回忆道，母狼在喂养完幼崽后，第一次向他递来生肉：“她扔给我一块肉。我不想碰它， 我以为她会攻击我， 但她不停地用鼻子把肉推向我。”他吃了下去。母狼走近，舔了舔他。他说：“从那时起，我就成了这个家庭的一分子。”

狼群完全接纳了他。它们与他分享食物，包括狩猎后的残羹，并允许他睡在洞穴中与它们依偎在一起。他学会了用低吼和嚎叫来交流，捕猎兔子和在河中捕鱼。当他想猎取鹿等更大的猎物时，他会嚎叫，狼群就会将动物驱赶向他。他还与一条蛇成为朋友，据报道，在他用羊奶喂过它之后，这条蛇就一直跟随着他。

1965年，19岁的罗德里格斯·潘托哈被西班牙国民警卫队发现，当时他赤着脚，身披兽皮，不会说话，双脚因多年在岩石上行走而长满了厚茧。警员强行将他带离山区，他尖叫着，甚至咬伤了警员。

他被安置在一家孤儿院，修女们教他如何直立行走，如何使用餐具并坐下来吃饭，还教他西班牙语。后来，他形容重新融入现代社会是他一生中最可怕的经历，汽车喇叭声、拥挤的人群、电灯，甚至连去理发店这样简单的事情都令他不知所措。

罗德里格斯·潘托哈此后过着平静的生活，偶尔接受采访并参与纪录片拍摄，包括2010年根据他的故事改编的电影《狼群之中》。他的一生是人类坚韧与适应能力的深刻见证，也是人与自然世界之间深厚纽带的动人证明。 (Translated by DeepSeek)