Wilson the Rescue Dog Goes Missing After Helping Search for Lost Children in Colombian Amazon Forest

Wilson the rescue dog went missing after helping search for the lost children in the Colombian Amazon Forest. The children were siblings who went missing for 40 days after surviving a plane crash on May 1 in the wilderness that killed all three adults on board a Cessna 206 light aircraft. One of the victims was their mother, who died several days after the crash, according to reports.

Prior to the discovery of the survivors on June 9, the Colombian Army for several weeks sent out nearly 200 soldiers with several tracker dogs, including Wilson, who likely found the missing children long before his human teammates arrived. Although the search operation for the children known as 'Operation Hope' has been completed, the army has continued their search for Wilson.

Some of the evidence that indicates the heroic dog is still alive is due to dog footprints and based on the anecdotal accounts from the indigenous children, saying they are accompanied by a dog for some time but disappeared eventually, based on the reports. While the Amazon is already dangerous for lost individuals, armed groups in the wilderness make it even more hostile.

Colombia Plane Crash

The Colombian military found alive the siblings, from an Indigenous community in the country, near the border between the provinces of Caqueta and Guaviare, an area close where the small aircraft had crashed.

The plane had a total of seven passengers, including the pilot and the children's mother Magdalena Mucutuy. The dead bodies of the three adults were found inside the plane. The rescued siblings' age ranged from 13, 9, 4, and 1-year-old baby, Reuters reported.

The 'main cause' of the plane crash, as well as to how the children survived its initial impact remains unclear. Yet, earlier reports suggest the Cessna 206 plane, traveling from Araracuara airport in Caqueta to San Jose del Guaviare city in a province of the same name, issued a 'mayday alert' due to engine failure in the early hours of May 1, according to Reuters.

Rescue Dogs

Rescue dogs and tracker dogs are known as some of the most loyal, efficient members of security forces worldwide, ranging from the police all the way up to the military.

German shepherds are the most common dog breed recruited for the task of not only searching for missing persons but also tracking suspicious items like drugs and other illegal objects. These dogs have the natural ability to identify and follow a human scent, according to the American Kennel Club.

In the case of Wilson, the heroic dog was a Belgian shepherd who grew up under the care of Cristian David Lara, who handled and trained the canine since he was a puppy. Lara is currently engaged in the ongoing search operation for the missing dog and told the El Espectador newspaper he will not leave until he finds Wilson, as cited by South China Morning Post.