After the incredible rescue of four indigenous children who were lost in the Colombian jungle for 40 days, the Army announced that the search continues for Wilson, a sniffer dog who participated in the feat and is now missing in the dense vegetation. The institution expressed on Twitter that the search is not over and that its principle is to leave no one behind.
The dog, a six-year-old Belgian Malinois shepherd, was lost in the Amazonian thicket in the south of the country while tracking the four indigenous children aged 13, 9, 5, and 1 year who survived a plane crash on May 1 and were found on Friday. Wilson was instrumental in the search operations as he found the bottle of 1-year-old Cristin amidst the vegetation.
The children, weak but alive, were taken to Bogota, where they are receiving medical attention. The director of the state entity in charge of protecting children’s rights, Astrid Cáceres, mentioned that the minors reported having encountered a dog in the jungle, without specifying if they were referring to Wilson. Lesly, the 13-year-old older sister, mentioned the presence of the dog during an interview with the press.
The Army reported the dog’s disappearance on Thursday and put forward a hypothesis: due to the complexity of the terrain, the humidity, and the adverse weather conditions, it would have become disoriented. They also claimed to have found footprints that could belong to the minors and others very close that could belong to the dog.
The children’s mother, an indigenous leader, and the pilot of the aircraft died in the plane crash. The two younger siblings were celebrating their 5th and 1st birthdays during their journey through the jungle. The Army continues its search efforts to find Wilson and fulfill its commitment to leave no one behind.