When a plane crashed in the jungles of Columbia in May, four siblings ranging in age from one to 13 were stranded in the wilderness and survived a shocking 40 days before authorities were able to locate them.
The deadly crash left the pilot, the children’s mother, and other passengers dead, leaving Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 13, Soleiny Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 9, Tien Ranoque Mucutuy, 4, and infant Cristin Ranoque Mucutuy to fend for themselves in the wilds of the Amazon jungle. A massive search effort quickly commenced, with more than a hundred Colombian special forces troops and 70 indigenous scouts combing the area, but for weeks all they turned up were “tantalizing clues.”
Finally, against all odds, the kids were discovered alive in June; the children have since been evacuated and treated, and they were all recently released from the hospital.
It’s an incredible story that highlights the bravery of these young children and the herculean efforts of the desperate searchers. But there’s one more side to it, and it concerns a dog—namely, a six-year-old Belgian Shepard named Wilson, without whose efforts these kids might not ever have been found.
Interestingly, “Wilson” is the name of the volleyball that comforted actor Tom Hanks…
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