Modern Mysteries

Two children survive for a month alone in the Amazon rainforest

By T.K. Randall
March 30, 2022

Image: Amazon Rainforest in Tena, Ecuador
Credit: Jay / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) According to reports, Glauco and Gleison Ferreira - aged 6 and 8 - went into the rainforest near their family home in Brazil's Amazonas state on February 18th to catch birds and did not return.

Their disappearance sparked a frantic and extensive search involving 260 volunteers, including experienced search and rescue workers, who spent days attempting to locate them.

With poor weather hampering efforts, the search was called off after a week, however a significant number of people continued to go out into the rainforest anyway in the hope of finding the boys.

Incredibly, 27 days later, a man who had been cutting wood near Palmeira reported hearing a child crying in the forest nearby - 22 miles from where Glauco and Gleison had disappeared.When he went to investigate, he discovered the two boys who were both very much alive.

Although they were badly malnourished, dehydrated and covered in bites and sores, they were in remarkably good health and made quite a speedy recovery after being taken to hospital.

"They are undernourished and have some skin, ear and back infections," said paediatrician Eugenio Tavares. "Breathing frequency is normal; they don't have coughs."

It is believed that the two boys survived by drinking rain and river water and by eating wild fruit.

The fact that they lasted so long without outside help is nothing short of remarkable.

Source: Oddity Central

Tags: Amazon, Rainforest