Born in 1946 in Cordoba province, southern Spain, Marcos's early life was marked by hardship. According to *El Pais*, after his mother's death, he faced regular abuse from his father and stepmother. At the age of 7, he was taken to the Sierra Morena mountains, left with an elderly goat herder to learn survival skills like making fire and foraging. When the herder vanished, Marcos was left alone in the wilderness.

For the next 12 years, Marcos survived by foraging for mushrooms and wild berries, catching fish, and hunting small game. He recounted being gradually accepted by a wolf pack, playing with the cubs and sleeping in their den. He developed a deep connection with nature, learning to recognize sounds, imitate animal calls, and communicate with them. "I didn't know what money was, but I always had enough to eat," Marcos shared.

Marcos Rodriguez Pantoja in front of his house in Rante, San Cibrao das Vinas, Ourense province. Photo: *El Pais*.

In 1965, the Guardia Civil discovered Marcos, then 19 years old, living in a feral state. He had lost the ability to speak, communicating solely through growls.

Upon returning to human society, Marcos had to relearn basic human behaviors: walking upright, sitting on chairs, eating with utensils, and speaking. He lived with a priest, then with nuns in Madrid. He served in the army and worked in Mallorca's restaurant sector. Despite these efforts, he found integration challenging, frequently facing deception and exploitation.

From 2001, Marcos resided in a small house in Rante, a village in Ourense province. Even then, he felt a profound sense of alienation from society. "I think they laughed because I didn't know anything about politics or football," he recalled.

His neighbors and environmental organizations rallied to help him, raising donations to repair his home and prepare it for winter.

Marcos attempted to return to Sierra Morena multiple times, but the landscape had become urbanized, and the wolf pack no longer allowed him to approach. "I smell like a human," he explained. Experts often described Marcos's life as perpetually caught between two worlds: he had lost the wild instincts necessary for the wolves to accept him, yet he could never fully integrate into human society.

Screenshot from a documentary released by Paislobo Prensa about Marcos Rodriguez Pantoja, the man raised by wolves in Spain. Source: *YouTube*.

In his later years, Marcos frequently lectured, sharing his unique story with children. He urged them to cultivate a love for animals and to cherish nature. "Devices only need to be plugged in," he would say, "but pets need love."

His extraordinary life was dramatized in the 2010 film "Entrelobos" (Among Wolves).

He passed away on 15/8.

"Marcos arrived here with a story known globally," a representative from the San Cibrao das Vinas government stated in his eulogy. "The day he departed, that story became an indelible part of this village's history."

Bao Nhien (According to *El Pais English*, *Euronews*, *CNN*)