Why boys are left in the bear forest can live a week without eating

Although only drinking water from the tap, Japanese 7-year-old Yamato Tanooka still survived for a week in a forest full of bears with extremely cold night temperatures.

Yamato Tanooka was discovered in an abandoned warehouse of the army base about 4km away from where she disappeared. The 7-year-old boy, who was punished by his father by leaving in the forest on May 28, is still alive and well after nearly a week, according to the Mirror.

More than 130 police, soldiers and teachers were mobilized to find the missing boy. After finding, Yamato was taken to the hospital to check. Doctors said she was healthy, except for her lower body temperature. Therefore, Yamato was kept in hospital for further monitoring.

Yamato's father Takayuki Tanooka expressed gratitude to the rescue team and apologized for causing trouble for many people. Yamato said he found drinking water from the tap outside the warehouse but did not eat anything for 6 days. Dr. Ian Maconochie, a counselor in the Emergency Department at St Mary's Royal University, London, UK, revealed the reason boys can survive in the absence of food for such a long time.

YamatoTanooka boys are found in a healthy condition.(Photo: Nippon TV).

"He must face the harsh weather environment as well as the lack of drinking water and food. Young children cannot survive 6 days without water, but they can survive without food. Children do not have a large liver, do not need as much sugar or fat as adults, At birth and death boundaries, he appears to be very well adapted to the environment and that situation does not affect development. of the boy " , Maconochie commented.

Although drinking water in streams in Japan is relatively safe, some streams may contain parasites and need to be boiled before drinking, so Yamato is fortunate to find a usable faucet. Experts say that Yamato has difficulty finding food in the forest at this time and needs to be equipped with special knowledge to avoid eating poisonous plants.

"After 6 days of not eating, the boy definitely lost weight and was at risk of infection depending on the cleanliness of the water source," Dr. Maconochie said. "I guess he will look for food and fruit . He is likely to have a drop in blood sugar, so I need to give him electrolyte solution to compensate for dehydration and restore the balance of salt in the body."

In case of getting lost, children should stay in place because rescue workers will find it more difficult to search if they move. However, in this case, Yamato did the best to find safe shelter and keep his body warm.

According to Dr. Maconochie, after two weeks, children may become infected by parasites or severe diarrhea, leading to dehydration and hypoglycemia."If the body cannot get energy from stored fat, the child will become malnourished and become extremely mere after a few weeks," Maconochie said.