Dreams do come true: but not the way you expected

by Letícia Benavalli (Brazil)

A leap into the unknown Brazil

If you asked fifteen-year-old me what my biggest dream, the answers would evolve situations of getting to know the Amazon rainforest. Ten years later, I found myself lost and perched in a tree in this exact place. I look at my bag looking for something that could help me get out of this situation: GPS and cell phone without battery, flashlight, pencil, notebook, lighter and, finally, a raincoat. I confess that the feelings of anxiety and worry took over me, so I start thinking about all the moments of my life that led me there. Already graduated as a biologist, I specialized in the study of medium and large mammals, hence the reason why I was invited to an expedition to monitor Jurema, a jaguar that unusually crossed four states, until she reached the Km 41 reserve, located in the Amazon, north of Manaus. Then, in search of her, my advisor and I flew from the Midwest to the north of Brazil and embarked in a fishing canoe to arrive at what would be our home for the next 8 days. The fieldwork was the same as any other, involving the routine of researchers in the largest tropical forest in the world. The perspective of how privileged to be studying one of the biggest jaguar’s population in the country overflowed me, also I was thankful for the opportunity to be immersed in the traditional culture of the region. I remembered a day before the getting-lost event, when I met the leader of the Riparians inhabitants of the nearest village where I was staying, who took us to discover the natural beauty that surrounded us. At the beginning of the tour, indigenous knowledge was shared, teaching me how to live in the forest in a sustainable and respectful way. In this conversation, José taught me that his wife uses Capeba leaves to feed his family during drought times, when there are fewer fishes in the river. So, let's go back to the day I got lost: I woke up around five-fifteen to settle some details of what would be done: together with two local Riparian dwellers and a forest agent, we went to the place where the jaguar Jurema was using to sleep. We were on the look-out waiting for the best time to shot a tranquilizer dart at her in order to stabilize that animal. Once all of this was done, we successfully changed the radio collar and moved away to allow her recovering. On the way home, we were informed about the sighting of a jaguar with two cubs roaming about 10 km from where we were, and we simply couldn’t miss the chance to follow three additional jaguars, so we went towards this new family. Arriving at the land, we shared our team and equipment to optimize the search time, as it was starting to get dark. We entered into the forest, this time in the region called Igarapé. Halfway there, we stopped to eat and that's when I got lost from my colleagues. In the midst of the magnificence of the Amazon rainforest, it is very easy to be lost, especially when we make the simple mistake of thinking that we do not need to mark the path we were taking. I walked, ran, screamed: it was no use. Alone, I realized that I needed shelter because I would spend the night there. I found a tree with tubular roots, enough to protect me from the cold, and I built a small fire to scare away possible animals. I stood there, dozing hourly, too afraid to sleep. As the day cleared, I was determined to find my way back, but neither did that happen. Exhausted from walking, I looked for Capeba leaves, paying attention to Jose's teachings: eat only the leaf, avoiding the ribs. In the midst of despair, I finally felt peaceful when I looked up and saw a helicopter. My rescue arrived and, along with it the feeling of have completed my first journey into the unknown, where I literally had to overcome my limits and I was really happy for don’t spend one more night alone worried about giant ants