Children rescued from Colombian jungle pay tribute to missing dog
Two of the indigenous children who survived 40 days alone in the Colombian jungle before being rescued last week made adorable tributes to a missing rescue dog.
The Belgian shepherd had helped in the widespread search for the children and is now lost in the Amazon jungle, The Guardian reported.
A colorful crayon drawing by the eldest child, 13-year-old Lesly, shows a four-legged creature playing near a stream while the sun shines.
A second drawing by Soleiny, age nine, shows the dog alongside a Colombian flag and the words “siempre bendecida,” or “always blessed.”
Lesly, Soleiny, and their two younger siblings were found in a jungle clearing on June 9, more than one month after a plane crash killed two adults and severely injured their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy.
Lesly, 13, made a colorful drawing for Wilson the rescue dog. Colombian ministry of defence
Rescuers pose with the children shortly after they were found on June 9. AP
Mucutuy selflessly encouraged her children to abandon her so they had a better chance of surviving before ultimately succumbing to her injuries.
The youngsters survived by eating fruit and a bag of cassava flour, and credited their grandmother with teaching them how to forage and fish.
Lesly also told their rescuers that they were accompanied for a period of time by a dog, who is believed to have been Wilson.
A second drawing by Soleiny, 9, shows the dog alongside a Colombian flag. Colombian ministry of defence
Wilson, a Belgian shepherd, is still lost in the jungle. Colombian Army/AFP via Getty Images
Wilson and another military sniffer dog, Tellius, picked up the kids’ scent and led the rescue team to their location, rescuer Carlos Villegas explained last week.
“According to what the children told us, we can confirm that Wilson, our commando, was with them, quite emaciated and without much to eat out there in the jungle,” General Pedro Sánchez added, according to The Guardian.
“But our faith remains intact and we are still looking for him.”
The four siblings survived a single-engine plane crash on May 1. Colombian army/AFP via Getty Images
At the time of the crash, the children were en route to visit their step-father and father, Manuel Ranoque, who was living separately from the family after receiving death threats from FARC guerillas.
Ranoque is now fighting the children’s grandfather, Narciso Mucutuy, for custody of the four siblings.
Six days after their rescue, the children are doing well but will remain in the military hospital in Bogotá for several more days, The Guardian said.
Manuel Ranoque, two of the children’s father, is now fighting for custody. AFP via Getty Images
The youngest child, who is just a year old, was moved to intensive care for extra monitoring due to her age.
While the children are still receiving medical treatment, social workers will interview family members and determine who should care for them.
Astrid Caceres, director of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, said during a radio interview on Monday that the agency was taking the issue very seriously.
Members of the Colombian Army checking one of the children after they were rescued. Colombian Presidency/AFP via Getty Images
“The most important thing at this moment is the children’s health, which is not only physical but also emotional,” she stressed.
Source: New York Post
