Amazon rainforest.Photo: Mark Fox Photography/ Getty
A Bolivian man was found alive after surviving a month in the Amazon rainforest with minimal supplies, according to multiple reports.
Jhonattan Acosta, 30, washunting with four friendsin northern Bolivia last month when he somehowbecame separatedfrom the group, according to the BBC and Spanish newspaperLa Vanguardia.
The hunter spent the next 31 days alone in the woods, and did what he had to do to survive until help arrived — from eating insects and worms to collecting rain water to drink in his boots.
Jhonattan was without a machete or a flashlight when he got lost, according to the BBC — and he said he lost nearly 40 lbs. and dislocated his ankle during the harrowing ordeal.
“My brother told us that when he dislocated his ankle on the fourth day, he started fearing for his life,” Horacio Acosta told Bolivian newspaperPágina Siete, per the outlet.
When he wasn’t eating bugs, Jhonattan managed to find and eat a wild, papaya-like fruit that locals call “gargateas,” per the report.
Horacio said his brother did have a shotgun, but that there was only one cartridge inside, according to the BBC. Jhonattan used that final cartridge to ward off a group of pig-like animals known as “peccaries,” he said.
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OnRadio Panamericana, the hunter said he also encountered several other animals, including jaguars, anteaters, and alligators, according toLa Vanguardia. He said he barely slept during his first week alone, with animals appearing at nearly every turn.
But Jhonattan believes some of the animals were simply taking care of him, having found jaguar tracks near him after waking up one morning.
The ordeal came to an end on Saturday when members of a local search party came upon the missing man while scouring the forest, perLa Vanguardia.
Jhonattan was surprised to learn that “people kept up the search for so long,” according to the BBC.
“I thank God profusely, because he has given me a new life,” the hunter said, per the outlet.
source: people.com
