They survived for 40 days in the dense Amazon jungle, home to highly venomous snakes, jaguars and all sorts of deadly creatures, rendering it one of the most dangerous forests of the world. Making matters worse for the four siblings was the 15-16 hours of non-stop rainfall every day.
The courageous 13-year-old Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, eldest of the four siblings, took charge of the situation against all odds. She carefully picked edible seeds and fruits, guided her siblings to water and ensured that all four of them hid in tree trunks to save themselves from predators.
Move over Bear Grylls and Hazen Audel! Lesley’s determination to live and do all it takes to keep her siblings alive has given a whole new dimension to jungle survival. Her resourcefulness displayed that being well connected to Nature right from birth can do wonders in life, which can throw up some serious, unforeseen challenges.
Are we prepared? Or, to rephrase, with technology penetration and dependence, are we connected with Nature at all? Especially kids?
Pranad Patil, a naturalist once got lost for a few hours in Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary north of Mumbai. “We were careful not to drink stagnant water, and drank only from a flowing stream even as we were searching for a way out,” he recalls. And that was not all. He had another terrifying experience in the buffer area of Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala. “It was getting dark, and there were a lot of leeches in the forest. We found our way to a village eventually, and
I discovered 36 leeches on me,” he says.
He feels urban children are getting disconnected from Nature.
“They are forced to play indoors, to keep them safe from dust and germs. But this only ends up weakening their immune system. A little exposure to nature is essential at a young age,” says Pranad, who is of the opinion that government and policy makers should make arrangements to ensure that everyone has outdoor time to soak in Nature,
Survival instincts
Surviving in hostile conditions like those prevailing in the Amazon is tough, but every child is a born survivor, feels Mehz Khan of the Jungle Survival Academy in Bandhavgarh. “We are born survivors; however we need to reconnect with our inherent skills and we never voluntarily put ourselves in hostile situations,” she says.
Creating fire, finding water and food, keeping safe and making a shelter are a few areas that Mehz and her team train people in, while exposing them to the wild, inhabited by creatures ranging from the ant to the tiger. They ensure that people develop muscle memory while doing this too. “At the end of the course, every person comes out with a feeling that they can survive any hostile situation if the need arises,” she says.
A lot of people show interest in doing the course offered by her Academy, but feel it would have been better if the institution was located closer to the cities where they live. “We want people to come all the way to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and do this course here in hostile situations with a live threat of wild animals,” says Mehz.
For most people, being connected to Nature mostly means taking a holiday in small towns and appreciating Nature sitting on a mule or on the balcony of a centrally-heated hotel, or at best, visiting a zoo or National Park which has fancy lodges. If none of these options are available, they go on a gas-guzzling safari and take pictures for their Instagram and Facebook profiles.
This is not being connected with nature! “There is no muscle memory being developed, nothing being learnt,” says Mehz, who believes people need to be in situations they have never encountered before and would never put themselves in voluntarily. “Survival is about your mental endurance more than your physical strength or endurance. That’s what we help develop at Jungle Survival Academy, Bandhavgarh,” she adds.
Wild Survival Academy co-founder Col Rajeev Sharma learnt survival skills through his army background. “Being deployed in frontline and border areas put me through a number of survival situations – not just getting lost, but being without supplies for many days. So I understand the importance of skills which can see that you survive at all times,” he says.
His academy imparts skills necessary for a person to survive in the forests – including finding food, water and shelter, making fire, navigating obstacles, signalling and rescue efforts.
“The survival of the children in the Amazon forests is an amazing and inspirational story. It was possible only because the kids were connected to Nature and had the ‘Never give up’ attitude. He says these are the natural instincts and children will hone them only by being exposed to Nature. With today’s technological advancements and in the race for grades, kids are disconnected from Nature,” feels Col Sharma.
Lost in nature
Wildlife and Nature photographer Masood Hussain has been lost in jungles quite a few times. “Being well connected to Nature, getting lost never felt like a crisis situation but a part of the adventure. That’s because as a wildlife photographer, I have spent a lot of time studying Nature, animal behaviour and survival skills,” he says. Masood too feels today’s parents are over protective and ensure that their children don’t get into any unsettling situation even in a small shopping mall, let alone a jungle.
“Not many children are taken to the jungles even on well-organised safaris. Who teaches the use of a compass these days? Everyone depends on Google Maps and it doesn’t work in jungles. Even in schools, survival skills is an unheard-of topic. Not many choose a career that demands such skills,” he says.
Randeep Singh, an award-winning wildlife photographer, has been to the Amazon forests. “It’s quite dense. For a 13-year-old to survive for 40 days is just incredible. She is not a normal human being and I feel she has an exceptional gift from God to fight for 40 days,” he says, adding that many mature and experienced people would not be able to hold out for so long.
