Man survived 31 days in Amazon jungle by eating worms

Jhonattan Acosta, 30, got lost in the jungle after becoming separated from his four friends while out hunting in northern Bolivia.

Jhonattan Acosta survived for 31 days in the Amazon jungle (Reuters)

A man survived for 31 days in the Amazon jungle by eating worms after he got lost.

Jhonattan Acosta, 30, got lost in the jungle after becoming separated from his four friends while out hunting in northern Bolivia.

Mr Acosta said he ate worms and other insects and drank rainwater collected in his shoes to survive. The 30-year-old also said he had to hide from jaguars and peccaries, a type of pig-like mammal, during his ordeal.

Jhonattan Acosta was taken to a health centre where he had his beard and hair shaved (Reutres)

He lost 17kg (37lb) in weight, had a dislocated ankle and was dehydrated when he was found by a search party made up of locals and friends.

Despite his injury, Mr Acosta was still able to walk with a limp when he was found, according to those who found him.

“It’s incredible, I can’t believe people kept up the search for so long,” he said amid tears.

“I ate worms, I ate insects, you wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive all this time,” he told Unitel TV. He also ate wild fruits similar to papayas, known locally as gargateas.

“I thank God profusely, because he has given me a new life.”

“My brother told us that when he dislocated his ankle on the fourth day, he started fearing for his life,” Horacio Acosta told Bolivia’s Página Siete newspaper.

“He only had one cartridge in his shotgun and couldn’t walk, and he thought no one would be looking for him anymore,” Horacio Acosta, the survivor’s younger brother, added.

Horacio said his brother used his last cartridge to scare off a squadron of peccaries and that Jhonattan has decided to give up hunting for good after his ordeal.

After 31 days, he spotted a search party some 300m (980ft) away and limped towards them through thorny bushes, shouting to draw attention to him.

Police said they would question the four friends of the survivor to understand how he became separated from them.