Amazon rainforest survivor pays tribute to Wilson, a police dog

Children who survived 40 days in the Amazon rainforest have drawn a picture of Wilson the service dog to pay tribute to the animal that helped rescuers find them.

After several days of treatment at a military hospital in Bogota, four children lost for 40 days in the Amazon rainforest are gradually recovering, able to play with stuffed animals and draw with crayons.

When General Helder Giraldo, head of the Colombian armed forces, visited the children in the hospital on June 12, the eldest sister, Lesly, 13, and Soleiny, 9, showed him drawings of the police dog Wilson, who was missing in the jungle.

The six-year-old dog picked up the group's scent in the woods and stayed with them for several days before disappearing again. Rescuers followed Wilson's footprints before finding the four children.

In Lesly’s drawing, Wilson is facing a river full of fish, illuminated by the sun. His brother Soleiny’s drawing is similar, with the dog standing near a tree with large flowers. The two children asked General Giraldo to give these drawings to the dog’s trainer.

Drawing of Lesly's dog Wilson (left) and his brother Soleiny's. Photo: Colombian Army — Drawing of Lesly's dog Wilson (left) and his brother Soleiny's. Photo: *Colombian Army*

After more than 40 days of searching in the jungle, Colombian rescue forces announced on June 9 that they had found four Huitoto indigenous children who survived the plane crash on May 1. They are currently undergoing treatment, expected to last at least two weeks in the hospital.

Wilson was last seen on June 8, when soldier Carlos Andres Villegas spotted him about 40 meters away. "Wilson looked at us, as if he wanted to tell us something. He ran out, then ran back into the woods," Villegas said.

"My teammates tried to play with it, comfort it, call it to see if it would come towards us, but the dog got scared and ran away and got lost in the forest again," he said.

After discovering the four children, the Colombian army announced that it would continue to search for Wilson. "No one will be left behind," the video posted on Twitter by the country's army said.

The whereabouts of Wilson, the police dog, became a hot topic of discussion on Colombian social media. The indigenous community in the area of the plane crash called him a "military warrior".

Belgian Shepherd Wilson participates in training in Colombia. Photo: Colombian Army — Belgian Shepherd Wilson participates in training in Colombia. Photo: *Colombian Army*

Many believe that Wilson was difficult to find in the jungle because he was trained as a fighting dog rather than a rescue dog. Some suggest that the army may have used a female dog in mating season to lure Wilson out of the jungle.

Pedro Sanchez, commander of Colombia's special forces, said the children confirmed the dog was emaciated and had no food in the jungle, but insisted the army "remains confident and continues to search".

"Wilson was born, raised, and trained with us. The search is not over. We continue day and night to find our country's 'four-legged hero'," the Colombian engineering team wrote on Twitter, posting a photo of Wilson as a child.

Duc Trung (According to Daily Mail, Stuff, AFP )

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