A Canadian man who has been
missing for 5 years has been found in the Amazon jungle. Anton Pilipa trekked
across two continents, more than 6,500 miles away walking mostly barefoot with
just the clothes on his back, after he disappeared from his Vancouver home in
2012. His family spent years frantically searching for the former humanitarian
worker, who suffers from suspected schizophrenia, and had almost given up hope
when they got a call out of the blue. Anton, who has been placed back on his
schizophrenia medication, traveled through at least ten countries from Canada,
including the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia,
Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil - all without a passport and with little more
than the clothes in his back. A Canadian-born Brazilian cop spotted Pilipa, who
she at first mistook for a beggar, shuffling down a dirt track in bare feet,
and dirty, unwashed Bermuda shorts and a vest. He had no passport, without any
form of identification. Therefore, extraordinarily, with help of several
international agencies and embassies, she was able to track down his family who
flew down to be reunited with their lost loved one.
Anton's brother Stefan said, I
was astounded, and I told myself that he was dead, that was the only thing I
could come up with that explained his absence. However, in my heart of hearts,
I didn't think he could be. So I was really shocked, who said he'd spent years
asking himself the same question, 'Where is he? What happened to him? I feel shocked
that he's alive still and had made it that far. His brother said he had one strange
mission; to get to the National Library of Buenos Aires in Argentina. Sadly,
when he finally made it to the library, after walking thousands of miles, he
was turned away because he didn't have any proof of identity. So he turned
around and started his trek into Brazil where he would eventually be found. But
after years on the road, he was shocked by his brother's appearance.
He described the life experience how
he survived by picking fruits and berries, opportunistic for food and clothes
in the trash, and heavily relied on the generosity of strangers. But that's not
to say times weren't harsh. Anton started off with a small bag of belongings
but was robbed of what little he did have on several occasions during his trek.
Whereas walking more than 800km alone through the dangerous Amazon jungle,
filled with poisonous spiders, snakes, caiman which can grow up to 20ft long
and jaguar all his toenails dropped off. Yet, while he met some “bad people” on
his unbelievable 10,000 mile journey, as he had received more generosity, particularly
in recent times. I have never felt alone, it's been a lot of thinking for
years, sleeping in the open. I used to very simple to live; and don’t need too many
things. He looked very pretty rough, as after flying out to Manaus last month
to collect his brother. The severities of his journey took a toll on his body
and face and he had a lot more hair than last time I saw him.
Stefan said his brother's health
was starting to weaken in the Brazilian mental institute where he was being
held waiting for his family to collect him. We got him just in time, and I know
that I am very fortunate to be alive,' Anton told the BBC. Hence I am very
happy to be able to return to my family. While Anton walked most of the 10,000
mile trip, he would irregularly get a ride or stowaway in a truck. However
mostly, he kept himself to himself, barely speaking to another human being in 5
years. Anton hardly speaks almost any Spanish or Portuguese. Anton, who was described as an individualist,
was diagnosed with schizophrenia some years ago but his family says they
struggled to find him the help he required in the two years before his
disappearance. Therefore, before his illness, he had worked all over Canada for
humanitarian relief organizations. In 2011, he finally started treatment for
his mental disease but that same year, he was involved in an incident which
resulted in him being charged with assault and weapons offences. He fled his
native country in 2012 before he was due to appear in court. And despite his unbelievable
journey, he will still have to answer those charges. After he arrived back in
Toronto on Monday he was arrested before being released on bail. However Stefan
says he doesn't believe the court appearance was the reason for his brother's
disappearance. Perhaps the timing is suspect,' he admitted. 'But was he trying
to avoid (the charges)? I don't think so. He was restless, and that is the main
form of his mental illness.'
After he disappeared, he and his
family did everything in their power to try and find him, but vein. They
contacted police, hospitals, and jails and even checked the morgues but there
was no trace. When someone disappears you abruptly realize there isn't a lot you
can do, only we can hit a wall nothing else. The first they knew Anton was even
alive was when Stefan got the call from the Brazilian police department shortly
before Christmas. Anton was first spotted at the end of November 2016 when he strolled
onto a highway in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. He was taken to a hospital
in Porto Velho where police reached out on Twitter, and to local embassies to
try and discover his identity. Lastly, officer Helenice Campos - the officer
who'd found him wandering on the road, was able to get in touch with Anton's
family. The family started raising money to get their brother back to home, but
then tragedy struck; Anton fled the hospital. However, a big thanks to
Brazilian police were able to track him down again as he was heading into the hazardous
northern Brazilian state of Amazonas. That is the area where we talk about enormous
predators like crocodiles and jungle cats,' Officer Helenice Campos, who said
she swiftly recognized that the tall, blonde and blue-eyed Pilipa could be a
foreigner, told CBC. We truly were afraid he could be eaten by one of those
animals.
Now Anton has returned back to
their native country Canada to live with his brother, sister-in-law and their
children in downtown Toronto. Their 65-year-old mother has also been reunited
with her missing son. Everybody is very pleased and supportive,' Stefan said of
his family. The amount of support pouring in this critical time is incredible. Even
though neighbors are all along the street are coming in to say hi. I have even
had myriad emails from mothers of adults who have disappeared saying our story
has inspired hope. Therefore, it may be some time before he knows the full
story of his unbelievable journey. I haven't wanted to press him too much about
it, as his brother is disturbed but is still doing extraordinarily well', all
things considered. Stefan said.
It's a little bit awe-inspiring
for him and he's very subtle at the moment. For sure, he hasn't been around
people for a long while. He is hoping his brother will reinstate back into
society after so long on his own. Although there's a little bit of a brawl with
that, as he's used to being completely alone. He's been outside of society for
a very long time. So I’ve to recap him sometimes that he needs to contain
himself, in a more civilized way, and that will come with town. In spite of his trepidation, Stefan does not
try and stop his brother from taking walks now he is in Toronto although they
are considerably shorter than what he's used to. I know he used to walk and likes
walk, so I allow him to walk as he needs to walk. I am not intent in trying to
curtail that. He's just got rules now and he has to be back by a certain time. We
are just taking it one step at a time. He's been walking for a long time. Anton
and Stefan were always close growing up and both left home at a young age. We
learned to be in the world together. We had similar mannerisms, and views of
the world. It was hard to see him
change. While Anton set out for Vancouver and Stefan for Toronto, they remained
close. But during a family event, in 2009, Stefan noticed for the first time
his brother was different. His family was still seeking treatment when Anton
fled in 2012. While he admits to many, his brother's experience will sound strange;
he said that those who know him may not be fully surprised. He's my brother and
he's a very important person. What he's done is very much in his personality if
you know him.
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