The story of the children who survived the plane crash in Colombia, and found alive in the jungle 40 days later, is enriched by another chapter that talks about love and strong ties, courage and willpower: Cristian David Lara, host and instructor of the dog Wilson, remained in the jungle despite the fact that the army stopped looking for the animal. He doesn’t want to give up: he wants to bring his four-legged companion home. Cristian David Lara saw Wilson grow up, spent every day with him, trained him and, as often happens, that professional relationship also entered his heart: for him Wilson is not just a member of the army, as he has repeatedly said by military leaders who praised the animal’s work so much. Wilson is a friend to him who cannot be abandoned: “He doesn’t want to leave the area until he finds his dog. It’s an impressive bond in which loyalty is essential,” military sources told El Espectador.
However, in recent days, on the occasion of a public ceremony, General Pedro Sánchez said that the possibility of finding Wilson’s dog was now considered “improbable”: “He is one of us and we have done everything in our power, we have spared no effort to find it, but we are aware that it is almost unlikely that we will be able to find it.” A decision also pushed to protect the more than 70 soldiers employed in the dense jungle, a place where it is as difficult to move as it is dangerous.
Wilson’s mission was to sniff out the tracks of Cristin, the youngest of the group. And so she did by finding her pink baby bottle, a fundamental element that guided the military towards the remains of the crashed plane not far away. Wilson continued to do his job: with his nose, he found shoes and clothes that the boys left as signs, he found the remains of the fruit they ate. Then he disappeared. The children confirmed, even in the drawings made in the hospital, that the dog had found them and had accompanied them for quite a while. Then he had left again, perhaps to look for the soldiers and lead them to the small group. But the jungle is very hostile: one of the hypotheses on the reason for his loss is that he was disoriented due to the complicated conditions of the area, where the thick foliage prevents you from seeing more than 20 meters away, where the humidity envelops you and it suffocates you and where the presence of the many wild animals that populate that area can scare even a military dog.
The children, the last to see him, said they spent a few days with him: he was very undernourished and exhausted, but he walked with them for a few days. A soldier who participated in the research confided to La Zampa the importance of the dog Wilson in rescuing the children: “Not only did they struggle to physically survive in that long period, between pangs of hunger and fear of wild animals. The four children are been put to a very severe psychological test. And it was they who explained how WIlson’s presence was essential for survival: they saw in that dog a source of protection and hope in order not to collapse. Those moments spent together with him were fundamental for Don’t break down. Wilson was a hero and did his job all the way.”
Meanwhile, the calls to continue the search do not stop on social networks. Among these also the father of Karol G, a famous Colombian singer: “Who will save as many lives as Wilson. Please, Colombian army, let’s give them the same 40 days given to children. Let’s make the last effort,” wrote the man in a story published on his Instagram profile, where he has almost 800 thousand followers, and where he published a drawing of the dog with a beating heart and the four children who embrace it.
Among the many mysteries that surround WIlson’s story, another has been added in recent days: videos of possible sightings are starting to appear on social networks that ignite new hopes. In recent days, a first film made in an area not far from the jungle where the hero dog was lost. But for the military it is very unlikely that it was him because to reach those areas Wilson would have had to cross several rivers which is difficult under normal conditions, practically impossible given his health conditions.
In the last few hours, another one made by a local woman who says she followed a dog into the jungle has appeared. In the images a female voice can be heard saying “Oh, it can’t be! Little dog, little dog… What do you say if it bites me if I take it? It’s like lost”, while a four-legged can be glimpsed moving from one side to the other in the middle of the thick vegetation.To that video is associated other images of a dog on a path that responds to the call of “Wilson, Wilson. ” A video that fuels hopes, even if among the comments there are many who speak of falsehood.
