The incredible story of four children, ages 1 to 13, surviving 40 days alone in the rainforest after a plane crash that killed their mother has garnered worldwide attention.
Miraculously, the children were unharmed, suffering only insect bites, dehydration and malnutrition before being found and rescued by the Colombian military after an extensive search.
This feat is all the more impressive considering that the Amazon rainforest is home to all sorts of dangerous wildlife, including jaguars, cougars, snakes and other predators, as well as armed groups that smuggle drugs and terrorize the local population.
Siblings Lesly (13), Soleiny (9), Tien Noriel (4) and Baby Cristin, who celebrated their first birthday when they got lost in the rainforest, are from the indigenous Huitoto group and will have used various survival techniques to survive on the island to stay alive.
The children’s story has wowed the world and here Web takes a look at how they survived a whopping 40 days in the wild – without adult help.
Four indigenous children (pictured) who disappeared for six weeks in the Colombian Amazon jungle after a plane crash have been found alive
The plane crash occurred in Solano, Caqueta. The plane was found wrecked on May 16
The first signs of life:
The first indication that the children had not perished in the May Day crash of a small plane that killed their mother, the pilot and an indigenous leader were small pieces of fruit left near the wreckage of the plane became.
The small, partially eaten pieces of fruit told the researchers that human life had recently been in the vicinity.
The fact that the children’s bodies were not found near the plane raised hopes that they might have survived the crash – prompting a huge search and rescue effort.
About 200 soldiers and local indigenous people combed a dense jungle area about 320 square kilometers (124 square miles) – about twice the size of Washington DC.
The May 1 crash is believed to have been due to a mechanical failure. The wreck was found wedged in dense vegetation and had apparently fallen into the jungle
The deadly dangers they faced:
The Amazon rainforest, which covers only 1 percent of the earth’s surface, is home to 10 percent of all animal species currently known.
On average, a new species is discovered in the Amazon every three days.
Many of these animals can pose a threat to humans, including jaguars, cougars, snakes, and other predators. Smaller wildlife, including insects such as mosquitoes, can also make a person very ill.
The children have been missing for more than a month, sparking an extensive search to find them
In addition to the danger posed by animal life, people in the jungle also pose a threat as criminal gangs that smuggle drugs and illegally clear the rainforest terrorize the local population.
Without clean water or medical care, the children were at risk of infection, if they were injured at all, and tropical diseases such as malaria, leprosy or viral hepatitis.
The children perished during the rainy season, when temperatures average 25°C (77°F), which can lead to severe dehydration.
How they turned to the ancient jungle traditions of their people to survive:
The children are members of the indigenous Huitoto (or Witoto) group and have been taught jungle skills since birth.
Their grandfather, Fidencio Valencia, had said that the children were well acquainted with the jungle, having been taught to hunt and fish from an early age.
Members of the indigenous community held traditional ceremonies, “speaking to the jungle” and urging it to release the children during the desperate search.
First touched by European conquests in the early 17th century, the Huitoto once comprised 100 villages and 31 tribes, although their numbers dwindled to 50,000 people by the early 19th century.
In the 1990s, invaders on their land threatened the Huitoto way of life and their traditional slash-and-burn farming style, prompting the Colombian government to set up several reserves for Huitotos. The men hunt with blowguns and shotguns.
The culture has been studied for its sustainability and efficiency, as well as its focus on relationships with the jungle.
The ingenious tactics the Seekers used to boost the children’s morale:
Resourceful searchers, forced to scour an area larger than Washington DC, used a variety of tactics to locate the missing children.
During the search, her grandmother’s voice was played from airplanes over the jungle to calm the frightened youths being searched for.
She later told reporters, “I never lost hope, I always supported the search.” I am very happy and I thank President Petro and my “compatriots” who went through so many difficulties.”
When the plane’s wreckage was recovered by the Colombian military, there was no sign of the youths – sparking a huge search across the south-east of the country to find them
Rescuers also dropped 10,000 leaflets with instructions in Spanish and the children’s indigenous Huitoto language in the forest, urging them to stay put.
The leaflets also contained survival tips and the military distributed food packages and bottled water for the children.
In addition, powerful searchlights were beamed into the area “to allow the minors to approach us,” Colonel Fausto Avellaneda, a member of the search team, told the TV program Noticias Caracol.
The clues that led to their discovery:
In images released by the military, everyday objects such as a baby bottle, a hair band and scissors can be seen on the jungle floor.
The children’s belongings helped reassure military searchers that they were still alive — and that search parties were closing in.
An image released by the Colombian army showed a footprint found in the forest in a rural area of Solano municipality, Caqueta, in southeastern Colombia
Among the items rescuers found included a baby bottle and scissors, giving them hope for survivors as they searched the jungle for the missing children
Tracker dogs and three helicopters were used to search for the children, but wild animals, heavy rain and high trees delayed the rescue operation
Muddy footprints also helped point the way to the children.
They also provided important scent clues for the tracking dogs used to track down the children.
Three helicopters and sniffer dogs were deployed to assist in the search, but inclement weather during the rainy season, wildlife and the height of the trees had slowed the effort.
But on Friday, the rescuers’ efforts were rewarded when one of the rescue dogs that had been tracking them led soldiers to the group, the president confirmed.