The miracle rescue of Lesly, 13; Soleiny, nine; Tien Noriel, four; and one-year-old Cristin last week after surviving 40 days in the Amazonian jungle was celebrated by millions across the world closely following their story.
One of the key players behind the arduous efforts in “Operation Hope”, a four-legged hero by the name of Wilson, has yet to return home. He got lost on 18 May when he was ordered to go look for the children in the jungle, but Colombian authorities have noted that “no one will be left behind,” and the search for Wilson continues.
Wilson, a Belgian Shepherd, went missing during the search according to officials. The children “spent three or four days with Wilson and said that they (found) him quite skinny,” said Colombian military spokesperson Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez Suárez.
Members of the army searching the jungle saw Wilson again on 6 June and tried to approach him. They tried to lure him with food, they called for him, and sent a female dog from our unit … Once he saw them, he ran away and that was the last time we had any type of contact with him.”
As the search continues, army officials are hoping Wilson displays the same instincts that helped the children survive.
“It was quite strange because Wilson is trained to do what he was ordered. He was supposed to come back to his handler,” Special Forces Commander Gustavo Narváez Orozco told Semana in Spanish
.“On the day he went missing, he was approaching his handler, then he had a weird reaction and ran away.” Mr Narváez Orozco said Wilson may be hiding from intimidating animals living in the jungle, such as alligators, jaguars, panthers and water boas.
From The Guardian:
In the children’s’ first pictures released by Colombia’s armed forces, a four-legged figure jumps from the page: Wilson, the Belgian shepherd dog who helped lead rescuers to their location – remains missing in the jungle.
One drawing, signed by Lesly – the 13-year-old credited with keeping her siblings alive through her knowledge of the jungle – shows Wilson between trees and a river. The second, signed by Soleiny, nine, shows the dog next to a large flower, the sun and the Colombian flag.
The Independent, and CNN