A HERMIT has told how he built a tiny cave home in a remote mountain after being sick of people hassling him.
Panta Petrovic, 72, moved to his tiny Serbian cave in the mountains to avoid society two decades ago.
AFPSerbian hermit Panta Petrovic rests in his cave in the southern Serbian city of Pirot[/caption]
AFPPetrovic looks out of his selfmade house[/caption]
AFPTwenty years ago, Petrovic moved into the cave to avoid society[/caption]
Before this, he had been living the “hectic” life of a labourer in the nearby town of Pirot.
However, after gradually isolating himself, he realised it was how he wanted to live – and he moved himself to the cliff.
His tiny cave home now is only accessible by a steep climb.
He told AFP: “I was not free in the city. There is always someone in your way – you either argue with your wife, neighbours, or the police.
“Here, nobody is hassling me.”
Panta had shared his home with goats, chickens, 30 cats and dogs and his favourite – an adult wild boar named Mara.
But last year he was devasted when his animals were attacked and killed by a pack of wolves.
He said: “There must have been five, six of them.
“I managed to crawl through the hole (in the cave), took an axe and waited. There was no way out, that hole saved me.”
Now he keeps his animals in a shack in the outskirts of town – and makes pilgrimages down the cliff to take care of them.
Petrovic receives welfare, but also relies on donations for food and supplies for the animals.
When it comes to feeding himself, he mainly lives off foraged mushrooms and fish he catches from a nearby river.
Before isolating, he donated all his money to the community by funding the construction of three small bridges in the town.
He explained: “Money is cursed, it spoils people. I think nothing can corrupt a human like money.”
Panta made the news worldwide back in 2020 when he left his cave to get the Covid vaccine.
At the time he said: “I want to get all three doses, including the extra one. I urge every citizen to get vaccinated, every single one of them.”
AFPSePetrovic takes a phone call in front of his cave[/caption]
