Two boys have left doctors scratching their heads after they managed to survive 26 days alone in the Amazon rainforest.
Brothers Gleison and Glauco Carvalho Ferreira, nine and six, were first reported missing after they left their village to hunt for birds.
The pair claim they survived on a miserable diet of sorb fruit, a native fruit that grows in the forest, and rainwater, and now suffer nightmares as a result of their ordeal.
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The boys were recovered almost a month later and were close to death, but fortunately made a swift recovery as medical staff nursed them back to health.
Gleison and Glauco first vanished from their home in Manicoré Municipality, Brazil, on February 18, prompting a search party of more than 300 people to search 3,000 square km of the giant rainforest in the hopes of finding the boys.
Eventually, the boys were found by farmer Manoel Vilkem after he heard one of them calling for help while he was chopping trees.
When the pair were returned to their home on March 15 they were emaciated and barely able to stand up, and so were taken to hospital in Manicoré.
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Dr Suzyane Serfaty who treated the boys in hospital said they were both extremely malnourished and dehydrated, with Glauco so close to both septic shock and diabetic shock that had he not had hospital treatment when he did, he would have died.
The boys were later transferred to a hospital in Manaus, the biggest city in the Brazilian Amazon.
Paediatrician Regina Alves said both boys had been bitten by bats and had to be given a jab to protect them against rabies.
Glauco also suffered the loss of kidney function due to dehydration.
But despite the odds, both brothers have made an impressive recovery in a short space of time.
Both have gained substantial amounts of weight, with Gleison gaining an impressive 11kg and Glauco going from a measly 12kg to 17kg.
The boys received counselling during their time in hospital, with their counsellor, Shirlene Siqueira, describing them as "warrior children who deserve all our admiration and respect".
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While Glauco still suffers nightmares and no longer likes to stray far from his mum, the boys' lived have begun to return to normal.
The pair botb now enjoy playing football with the other children in their village – but Gleison says his favourite thing to do is go fishing.
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