Man Rescued After 31 Days Lost in Amazon

A Bolivian man on a hunting trip in the Amazon rainforest got separated from his group on Jan. 25, and his family reported him missing. Jhonatan Acosta, 30, was found safe on Feb. 25, and he says he survived by eating worms and insects and drinking his own urine, the Guardian reports. He also drank rainwater, of course; he reported that it rained about half the time he was lost, and he collected the water in his boots. And in addition to his less palatable meals, he ate wild fruits, the BBC reports. He estimates he walked about 25 miles looking for help, but discovered he was traveling in circles, likely due to his disorientation.

Acosta, who reportedly lost more than 37 pounds during his ordeal, dislocated his ankle, was bitten by multiple creatures, had to hide from jaguars, and, according to his sister, had to fight with a pig at one point. If his story is confirmed, Acosta would be among those who have survived solo in the Amazon for the longest. Israeli adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg did so for three weeks in 1981; Brazilian pilot Antonio Sena survived 38 days after crash-landing in the rainforest in 2021; and last year, two young brothers were lost for 25 days in the rainforest before being rescued. (More Amazon rainforest stories.)