A 30-year-old man survived a “nightmare” of a month lost in the Bolivian jungle, in the Baures-Beni region. Jhonattan Acosta Abuid had to drink rainwater that he accumulated in his boots, flee from dangerous predators, hunt animals and insects to eat or stay awake at night.
The story of this hunter began on January 25 when he and a group of friends went into the jungle. “I found tigers (jaguar), mountain peccaries, anteaters, alligators and other animals,” Jhonattan told Radio Panamericana.
Accompanied by just a shotgun, the protagonist of this bizarre story claims that members of unrecognized tribes often protected him from dangerous animals.
“The tracks were very close to me, I think they had no intention of harming me, moreover, they were taking care of me because one day I woke up, there were jaguar tracks near where I slept. It could have attacked me, but I think I received support of God and those people from the tribe,” he says.
Jhonattan Acosta knew the terrain and the risks, but he never imagined that he would be lost for a month and that he would make it out alive. Last Saturday night, February 25, they found him and since then he has been admitted to a hospital.
The day he disappeared, the man and his friends had gone 25 kilometers into the jungle (in search of precious stones) when they decided to hunt. He then walked away from the group and got lost.
“For almost a week I couldn’t sleep, I have nervous problems because of the animals that appeared every 300 meters. If I were to name the number of animals I saw…”, he recalls a little anguished.
His family, who came from different parts of Bolivia, led the rescue missions. The days were intense and they set up provisional camps to rest during their long walks.
When they found Jhonattan, the first thing he asked was to take a bath and change his clothes. He had injuries to his feet and face, and he had little strength left, for which he was hospitalized.
