Brazilian Toddler Survives Five Days Alone in the Rainforest

(Photo : Reuters)

A girl from Brazil, who is only four years old, survived for five days living alone in the rainforest and was later found by search and rescue personnel. She had survived in the rainforest by eating fruits and drinking water from the river in the area.

The name of the toddler is Ana Vitoria Soares Cardoso. She was reported missing on December 29, 2019, in a rural region in the community of Rio Maniva found in the northern part of Brazil.

She was last seen playing in a canoe with her sister who is eight years old. After her family noticed that she was missing, they feared that she may have drowned because they know she can't swim.

After knowing that their four-year-old child went missing, her parents immediately seek the help of emergency services in their area. Three divers were called to assist in the search of the girl.

According to a statement given by Rosivaldo Andrade, the Local Fire Chief in the area, too many reporters, they conducted search and rescue operations for many days in the river where the girl may have fallen over and drowned. Basing from the statements provided by the family of the young girl, they concluded that the girl may have died from drowning in the river and that there were no indications that she may have run to the forest.

However, on January 2, 2020, the young girl was found by one of her cousins. The young girl, one of the nine children of her parents, was found in the forest approximately two kilometers from the area where she was reported to have been missing. 

According to Andrade, it was very fortunate that the Brazilian toddler was found because of the risks that the forest contains. However, he reported that the wildlife in the forest where she got lost was not aggressive. Some of the possible risks that the forest may pose are the cold temperature, infections from scrapes, tripping, and cutting oneself. He said that the child had gone through an intense type of struggle living in the forest alone.

The child's mother, Rosilete de Souza Soares shared with the reporters that her daughter survived alone in the forest by eating fruits and drinking water from the stream. 

According to the girl's mother, Ana Vitoria Soares Cardosa was found while sitting on a trunk of a tree. She was not able to walk. It was fortunate that one of her cousins found her. She was found to have bruises on her skin. She was also dehydrated.

Upon the discovery of the young girl, she was immediately brought to a hospital in Santana, near the Amapa State in the region. Currently, she is still under observation by the medical staff of the medical institution where the young girl was admitted. Her doctors are expecting for her full recovery from the incident.

Despite living in the forests without any adult to take care of her for five days, the Brazilian toddler was a strong and lucky girl for surviving the dangers that the forest holds.