'Fruits, seeds and water' were pivotal in keeping four children alive in the Amazon rainforest

[Judi Lynn]

By Caitlin Hu, Tara John and Stefano Pozzebon, CNN
Updated 8:25 AM EDT, Sun June 18, 2023

When four young indigenous children were found last week after 40 days in the Colombian Amazon jungle, their rescuers noticed that the oldest, 13-year-old Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, had something hidden between her teeth.

“We found she had a couple of seeds slowly chewed between her cheeks and her jawbone,” said Eliecer Muñoz, one of the four indigenous guards who made the very first contact with the children.

Muñoz told CNN the seeds were from a native Amazon palm tree called Oenocarpus Bataua, colloquially known as “milpesos” in Colombia.

Its fruits are rich in fat and Amazon tribes use them to make a vegetable oil, but Leslie’s seeds were still unripe when she was found, Muñoz said.



Eliecer Munoz (C), who was one of the indigenous guards who found the four children, talks during a press conference in Bogota, on June 15, 2023.
Daniel Munoz/AFP/Getty Images

“She was keeping them so that the warmth of her mouth would open up the seeds and she could feed the pulp to her younger siblings,” Muñoz says. “That’s how they stayed alive.”

More:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/18/americas/colombia-amazon-rainforest-rescue-indigenous-children-intl/index.html

[niyad]

1. I am still in awe of the courage and resourcefulness of this girl and her

siblings. May their lives be peaceful and amazing.

[Deuxcents]

2. Lessons learned well for such a young girl.

Some kind of Guardian Angel was on overtime for these kids keeping them alive and getting the rescuers to the right place. I hope these kids will be able to live their lives without the glare of the public and they can return to their family and live in peace.