Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Relief and celebration swept through Pepper Village, Fyzabad, on Sunday after 74-year-old Dooran Moonilal was found alive following a tense four-day search in the bushes behind his home.
Moonilal, who went missing around 10 am last Thursday after venturing about two miles into the forest with his two dogs, Blackie One and Blackie Two, was discovered about 3.10 pm on Sunday by members of the Hunters’ Search and Rescue Team led by Captain Vallence Rambharat.
He was found sitting on the ground, bareback, with his two faithful pothounds by his side—weak and dehydrated, but in good spirits.
Rambharat said Moonilal may have survived by eating the heart of palmiste, a cabbage-like core found at the growing tip of certain palm trees.
He had no water, and Rambharat said the forest had been “as dry as a biscuit.”
Rambharat’s search teams, comprising more than 12 members, had been combing the dense forest for days, determined to bring Moonilal home safely.
Earlier on Sunday, hope grew when his boots, cutlass and jersey were discovered on the forest floor, signalling that rescuers were closing in on his location.
Two hours later, he was found sitting with his faithful dogs at his side.
Rambharat said one of the dogs, a brown pothound, had at one point followed hunters as they searched, almost as if trying to lead them back to its owner.
When Moonilal was finally located, he was able to recount parts of his ordeal in the bush to rescuers, who quickly brought him out to safety.
His family and neighbours, who had been anxiously awaiting news, were overjoyed at the outcome after days of uncertainty.
Rambharat said Moonilal was accustomed to going into the forests to dig yams. He said the elderly man lost his way while digging.
