Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, surpassed only by Brazil. This is surprising considering Colombia is almost seven times smaller than Brazil.. It houses around 10% of the world’s biodiversity with more than 50,000 species of plants and more than 1,900 species of birds.
The Amazon jungle full of jaguars, snakes and poisonous plants is another world. So dense that hardly any daylight can reach the ground. A place where it rains constantly. In fact, it can be expected to rain up to 16 hours a day. This makes it quite difficult to see through the constant curtain of water, even on the rare occasions when there is adequate light.
Add to that the fact that the forest is filled with a series of constant and sometimes overwhelming sounds. This makes it difficult for two people to talk and understand each other. even if they are a short distance apart.
This is where the plane on which four young children were traveling along with their mother and two other adults crashed. The flight departed from Araracuara and was scheduled to land in San José del Guaviare. Halfway through the journey, when they were flying over Caquetá, over the Apaporis River, an engine failure occurred. When the plane was located, the bodies of the adults were there, but the four children, four brothers, were gone.
After 40 days deep in the jungle, they were rescued. One of them spent the first year of his life in these conditions.
Their names are Lesly Jacobo Bonbaire (13 years old), Solecni Ranoque Mucutuy (9 years old), Tien Noriel Ronoque Mucutuy (4 years old) and Cristian Neryman Ranoque Mucutuy (11 months old) and this is how they survived.
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT
In an environment like the Colombian jungle, it is extremely easy to get lost. We’re not sure how many days it took the children to get away from the crash site, but it’s clear they made it as they ended up being about three miles from the crash site as the crow flies.
However, the military suspects that the distance actually covered could have been significantly greater, They may be wandering in circles trying to find a safe path. This often happens when you get lost in a forest or in a place with no clear or known clues.
Eventually they found a dog and only with this help they managed to stay alive all the time. In addition, the children, especially the two older ones, were familiar with this environment. They had learned to navigate it and identify the plants they could consume for food without jeopardizing their health by consuming poisonous species.
Military sources confirmed that the children were fed branches and sticks. There is also a species that is in harvest time Juan Socoeither Achievement (similar to passion fruit). When the animals eat from it, they will hit another branch, causing some fruits to fall to the ground. About a mile from the plane crash site, presumably around a tree of this species, the children would probably forage and gather these seeds to feed themselves.
Rainforest river in Colombia.
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Indigenous tribesmen have an innate sense of direction and can walk up to 30 kilometers in a single day without needing special footwear for difficult terrain. Lesly grew up in these communities and grew up with these skills and knowledge.
Therefore, it is also very likely that the children found numerous wet leaves and small streams, not all of which can be drunk directly. There are certain leaves that can be used to purify water, but there are others that are poisonous. They need to be collected in a certain way, washed in a certain way, and then after a while they can be used to collect water.
They may also have employed body cleansing techniques using leaves, which act as natural repellents. Mitigation of mosquito and insect infestations. It is very likely that they have found a species of plant that you can use to clean your feet to avoid being noticed or attacked by snakes.
LESLY THE LEADER
Lesly took the lead of the group at all times, tirelessly watching over their welfare and safety. They were able to survive thanks to the food the jungle provided them and later thanks to the survival packs that rescue teams dropped from the sky to help them.
Specifically, Colombian forces dropped more than a hundred survival kits from a helicopter over the jungle area where the four children were reported missing. These supplies were strategically released every 500 meters at low altitude., and were attached to a 30 meter long rope to ensure their safe delivery. Each survival backpack, weighing 4.4 kilograms, was outfitted with two bottles of water, two units of rehydration solution, food, and other survival gear such as flares and whistles to signal their location.
The search for these lost children mobilized a large group of people: more than 100 members of the Colombian Special Forces and 70 local residents who, in their eagerness to locate them, would not rest while the children wandered aimlessly through the vast and humid area Forest representing the largest jungle in the world.
During their journey, they met Wilson, a lonely dog who decided to join their group. The animal accompanied them for much of their journey and its presence brought them emotional relief and a sense of camaraderie amidst the harsh circumstances. But one unfortunate day the dog disappeared without a trace, swallowed up by the vast and dense jungle. They never heard from the dog again, their faithful friend and travel companion was lost in the middle of the jungle.
How long can someone survive in the jungle?
How long a person could survive in these conditions is highly dependent on several factors including the person’s initial health status, their survivability skills, resource availability, environmental conditions, and many other factors. In general, in extreme conditions, a human can survive three minutes without air and three hours without shelter. three days without water and three weeks without food. However, these figures are only guide values and can vary considerably in practice.
In a jungle environment like Colombia’s, with access to drinking water and food, a human can survive for several days or even weeks. However, dehydration can be life-threatening in as little as three days, and starvation can occur in as little as three weeks. Additionally, the Colombian jungle can present additional challenges, such as exposure to insect-borne diseases, venomous snakes, and other wildlife.
Although children can be surprisingly resilient, they are also more prone to dehydration, fatigue and illness.