“You wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive”: Man rescued after 31 days in the jungle
A Bolivian man has survived 31 days in the Amazon jungle.
Jhonattan Acosta, 30, was hunting in northern Bolivia when he was separated from his four friends.
He told United TV he drank rainwater collected in his shoes and ate worms and insects while hiding from jaguars and peccaries, a type of pig-like mammal.
Acosta was finally found by a search party made up of locals and friends a month after he went missing.
“I can’t believe people kept up the search for so long,” he said in tears.
“I ate worms, I ate insects, you wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive all this time.”
He also ate wild fruits similar to papayas, known locally as gargateas.
“I thank God profusely, because he has given me a new life,” he said.
His family said they will still have to string all the details together regarding how Acosta got lost and how he managed to stay alive but will ask him gradually as he is still psychologically damaged after the experience.
There has also been significant physical changes. Acosta lost 17kg, dislocated his ankle and was severely dehydrated when he was found, but according to those who found him, he was still able to walk with a limp.
“My brother told us that when he dislocated his ankle on the fourth day, he started fearing for his life,” Horacio Acosta told Bolivia’s Página Siete newspaper.
“He only had one cartridge in his shotgun and couldn’t walk, and he thought no one would be looking for him anymore.”
As for his encounters with wild animals in the jungle, including a jaguar, his younger brother said that his brother used his last cartridge to scare off a squadron of peccaries.
After 31 days, Acosta spotted the search party about 300m away and limped through thorny bushes, shouting to draw attention to him.
Acosta’s brother, Haracio, said that he was found by four local people.
“A man came running to tell us they’d found my brother,” he said. “It’s a miracle.”
Acosta has since decided to give up hunting for good.
“He is going to play music to praise God,” Haracio said. “He promised God that, and I think he will keep his promise.”
Image credit: BBC News