How Colombian children survived for 40 days in jungle

Four children miraculously survived in the hostile Colombian jungle for a span of 40 days. On a Friday night, deep within the heart of the jungle, a message echoed through army radios, bringing a sense of relief and hope to the nation: "Miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle." 

The military code conveyed the incredible news that all four missing children had been discovered alive. These youngsters, belonging to the indigenous Huitoto community, had gone missing when the small aircraft they were travelling in crashed into the Amazon during the early hours of May 1st. Tragically, their mother died in the accident, leaving the children, aged 13, nine, four, and one, stranded in a difficult environment teeming with snakes, jaguars, and mosquitoes.

Initially, rescuers held grave concerns for their fate. However, the discovery of footprints partially consumed wild fruit, and other clues provided a glimmer of hope, suggesting that the children had ventured away from the crash site in search of assistance. Over the following six weeks, the children faced the challenges posed by the harsh elements and defied the odds stacked against them. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro lauded their remarkable feat as "an extraordinary display of survival that will be etched in history."

The Mucutuy family, also known as the "Children of the Jungle," possessed remarkable preparation and skills that proved crucial during their ordeal. As part of the Huitoto community, they acquired hunting, fishing, and gathering knowledge from a young age. Their grandfather, Fidencio Valencia, revealed that Lesly and Soleiny, the eldest children, had a deep familiarity with the jungle. According to the children's aunt, Damarys Mucutuy, the family regularly engaged in a "survival game" during their upbringing.

Damarys recounted their childhood playtime: "When we played, we would create small camps." She also mentioned that thirteen-year-old Lesly had extensive knowledge about the forest's poisonous fruits, understanding which ones to avoid. Additionally, Lesly knew how to care for a baby, highlighting her capabilities and resourcefulness even in challenging circumstances.

After the crash, Lesly built makeshift shelters from branches held together with her hair ties.

She also recovered Fariña, a type of flour, from the wreckage of the Cessna 206 plane they had been travelling in.

The children survived on the flour until it ran out and then they ate seeds, Edwin Paki, one of the indigenous leaders who took part in the search effort, told reporters.

"There's a fruit, similar to passionfruit, called avichure," he said. "They were looking for seeds to eat from an avichure tree about a kilometre and a half from the site of the plane crash."

Astrid Cáceres, head of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, said the timing of their ordeal meant "the jungle was in harvest" and they could eat fruit that was in bloom.

But they still faced significant challenges surviving in the inhospitable environment.

On Saturday, indigenous expert Alex Rufino said the children were in "a very dark, very dense jungle, where the largest trees in the region are".

And while there are leaves with which the children could purify water, he warned that "others are poisonous".

"It is an area that has not been explored. The towns are small, and they are next to the river, not in the jungle," he added.

In addition to avoiding predators, the children also endured intense rainstorms and may have had to evade armed groups said to be active in the jungle.

At one stage, the children were forced to defend themselves from a wild dog, President Petro said.

But Mr Rufino noted that a 13-year-old raised in an indigenous community would already possess many of the skills needed to thrive in such an environment.

John Moreno, leader of the Guanano group in Vaupes, in the south-eastern part of Colombia where the children were raised, said they had been "raised by their grandmother", a widely respected indigenous elder.

"They used what they learned in the community, relied on their ancestral knowledge in order to survive," he said.

As the search continued, officials in Bogota came under pressure over its slowness. President Petro faced criticism after his office falsely published a tweet saying the children had been found.

Authorities dropped 10,000 leaflets with survival tips written in Spanish and the indigenous Huitoto language, and helicopters blared messages from their grandmother speakers to reassure the children they were being looked for.

But unbeknownst to the media, the army was coming increasingly close to finding the family. On several occasions rescue teams passed within 20 to 50 metres (66 to 164ft) of where the children were found, search commander Gen Pedro Sánchez said.

By the time the children were discovered, about 150 troops and 200 volunteers from local indigenous groups were involved in the operation, which was combing an area of over 300km sq (124sq miles).

"This isn't a search for a needle in a haystack, it's a tiny flea in a vast carpet because they keep moving," Gen Sanchez told reporters during the hunt.

But on Friday, after a month-long search, specialist rescue dogs found the children.

A video shared by Colombia's Ministry of Defence showed the children being lifted into a helicopter in the dark above the tall trees. They have been flown to the nation's capital Bogota, where ambulances have taken them to the hospital for further medical treatment.

The children's families thanked the army for continuing their search despite the low odds of survival, and they urged the government to bring the children home as soon as possible.

"I never lost hope, I was always supporting the search. I feel very happy, I thank President Petro and my 'countrymen' who went through so many difficulties," their grandmother told state media.

President Petro also hailed the efforts of the army and the volunteers, praising "the meeting of knowledge: indigenous and military", adding that "this is the true path of peace".

But he reserved special praise for the children and their relationship with the environment.

"They are children of the jungle, and now they are also children of Colombia," he said.

While many in the deeply catholic Colombia have referred to the children's rescue as a "miracle", Mr Rufino, the indigenous expert, said the real story lay in their "spiritual connection with nature".

"The jungle is not only green but there are ancient energies with which the populations relate, learn and help each other," he said.

"It is difficult to understand this, I know, but this is a good opportunity for society, human beings, to learn about the different worldviews that exist in the territories.

"The same mother, who became a spirit after the accident, protected them," he said. "And only now is she going to start resting."