Denis Santos
Just recently, a Chilean tourist was lost in the Amazon for nine long days, but the story that lies with it is insane!
Maykool Coroseo Acuña, 25, said that a group of monkeys actually helped him survive by taking care of him. They also fed him, and even guided him to water and shelter, all according to Acuña.
It was reported that he had lost contact with his tour group from Max Adventures at Amazon’s Madidi National Park in Bolivia. (National Geographic)
Skipping Traditional Ceremony
Fellow tourists of Acuña said that he did not participate in a traditional ceremony the night before he got vanished. The ceremony includes thanking Pachamama, the Earth Goddess of the Andes people. It is said to be that when this god gets disrespected, it would enrage Duende, a mini creature that preys on people.
According to the owner of the travel agency, Feizar Nava, “It’s because he offended the Pachamama. He didn’t want to participate in the ceremony.”
He called upon mountaineers, shamans, and the victim’s relatives to locate him.
For myself and the rangers, this is our culture. We believe that Duende is real. And we think it’s possible that Maykool was taken by him,” the Madidi National Park director, Marcos Uzquiano, released a statement.
Finding Maykool
It took 9 days before Acuña was found in less than a mile near the camping place of Max Adventures. He was dehydrated, had swollen feet, and bug-bitten skin. Still groggy and overwhelmed at the moment, he said that monkeys dropped him fruits every day for survival. He also claimed that they led him to the river and picks a safe place for him to stay.
He cannot identify which species of monkey that actually saved him but, Amazon is known to be a home of Rosillo, Lucachi and Titi monkeys.
