Press release PR.RPU. P001.R01 - 2012-06-17 - No. 48

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Testimony of the Galapagos National Park ranger who led the tracking team at Saturday morning located the tourist Felipe Bravo.

On Saturday we left early with the group composed of my fellow Rangers: Roberto Jimenez and Efrain Garcia, a policeman and a firefighter. Due to years of experience in the Galapagos National Park Service went ahead with them. I was convinced we would find that day.

Yesterday he had followed the traces of his footsteps to a point where we lost the trail. On Friday it was too late, I had brought my backpack and camping gear. He was determined to stay on the site and keep looking for him, but my group mates told me that I stay and convinced me to return to camp.

Around 08:00 am I saw him, was more than twenty meters away, as I approached he called to let you know we were looking for, then I heard his voice, but was very weak when I got closer I realized that her voice had broken by tears. Then, while walking thought what it would be my approach and what he would do to have it before me.

Upon arrival gave him a big hug to make him feel strong and I said to him: We are here to help you, we're going to take home, plus I have information that your mother  is in port. I repeated calm down ... in ten minutes the helicopter is coming that's going to take away from this place.

Then I followed the instructions of the search coordinators and sat to receive first aid using the fireman who was part of my group, I get wet as we had indicated. While my other co-brigade cleared the bush and branches from the area for the helicopter to land.

While being served I asked if we had heard the day before and said yes, because we found about 500 meters away from where we stopped the night before the search. Felipe did not say any words to respond but with gestures. I was surprised that a young person is ready and experienced to survive, because I saw the review of his environment that he had cut open cactus leaves to eat and remove fluid with the tube from a ballpoint pen, which also used to fill a plastic bottle, the which I said when I asked if he had taken liquid.

I am proud to have found and because my boss trusted me to put my position to a hunt group. They trusted that we could find. That's what we rangers do, in this case because the young man (Felipe Bravo) and anyone who passes through a similar situation, we put all our effort and heart in the search.