Marina was just four years old when she was allegedly kidnapped by trafficking gangs outside her home in Colombia before being dumped in a rainforest, where she claims she lived among capuchin monkeys for up to seven years
08:43 ET, 06 Oct 2026Updated 10:49 ET, 06 Oct 2026
Describing her earliest memory, she recalled playing with peapods before being suddenly seized from behind and having her face covered(Image: Blink Films/Toby Trackman)
A woman who was raised by monkeys experienced terror upon seeing her reflection for the first time. Marina was only four years old when she was abducted by trafficking gangs outside her Colombian home, before being abandoned in a rainforest by her captors.
Describing her earliest memory, she recalled playing with peapods before being suddenly seized from behind and having her face covered.
The morning following that “very horrible moment”, Marina awoke to find herself surrounded by nature. She remembered: “I realized it’s a forest and then I realized an animal… one monkey came, and then some more followed him, and they came closer to me and they were staring at me. I was quite upset and one of them came and start to pop my ears and they start to touch me.”
The black-and-white capuchin primates eventually lost interest but continued to return to check on her. She explained they didn’t immediately welcome her, but gradually began climbing onto her shoulders and playing with her hair.
In a new interview with OMG Stories Up Close, she shared: “That was a great comfort for me because I was feeling very isolated after so many months or days. I felt very solitary and for this animal to climb over my shoulders and stay there playing with my hair. That was really comforting for me when I was waiting for people to come for me. Nobody turned up.”
The black and white capuchin primates eventually lost interest but continued to return to check on her(Image: Blink Films Ltd)
Remarkably, Marina, now in her mid-70s, spent up to seven years surviving in the jungle by drinking large quantities of water, consuming seeds, and scavenging the scraps left behind by monkeys.
When asked whether the monkeys felt like family to her, she provided a deeply moving response, recounting the moment she discovered a mirror. She said: “I felt like I was part of them because of the hands. They behave like humans.
“I was shocked when I found a piece of mirror. It was a shock of my life because I didn’t realize my face. It was the first time I saw my face. For me, I just thought, I am not like a monkey. I felt like I was related to them. I was beginning to feel a little bit confused. I don’t think I speak any language. I think I forgot my own language because I began to recognize the noises.”
Marina explained that these noises were her primary means of communication with the monkeys, noting that a whistle signaled food while a screech indicated approaching danger. She fondly recalled growing close to the animals, with the younger ones helping to remove knits and insects from her hair.
Although the monkeys would swiftly snatch food from her hands, forcing her to eat rapidly, she always felt a strong urge to hold onto the mirror, as it served as a constant reminder of just how different she was from her jungle companions.
Marina explained that these noises were her primary means of communication with the monkeys, noting that a whistle signaled food while a screech indicated approaching danger(Image: Getty Images/LatinContent RF)
Recalling another profound moment, she spoke about becoming sick after eating the wrong seeds, which made her stomach upset. “I was just looking at this old monkey and I was really crying out and I was feeling very desperate,” she recalled.
“So he just walked towards me and he grabbed me forcefully and he pulled me into the water straight. It was a puddle of water; it wasn’t very deep. He put me there and he hel me and I was just trying to push back.
“I drunk so much water and I was quite sick after until I looked at his face. He was staring at me. I realized something about his eyes, he didn’t want to kill me. I just thought there was something special about when I looked at his eyes. I felt he was a good monkey. He didn’t want to kill. But I felt better in my stomach after a while.”
She expressed that her biggest “regret” was departing the jungle, which she did after encountering a group of hunters. A woman’s smile prompted her to step forward, but she was quickly seized by a man. Marina was transported to Cucuta in Colombia, where she was taken to a brothel, but she managed to escape. This, however, led to her living rough on the streets, where she spent numerous nights sleeping in parks.
Remarkably, she eventually encountered a couple from Bradford, who took her in and raised her in the UK, after her original family could not be found. Marina is now married with two daughters and she also has two grandchildren.
She expressed her biggest “regret” was departing the jungle, which occurred after she encountered a group of hunters(Image: Blink Films/Toby Trackman)
She revealed it was initially “very painful” trying to become human again and at first she couldn’t open doors, eat properly or use a knife, fork or spoon. “I was completely useless,” she added.
Learning to trust people was the “most difficult” challenge she faced, but she defied expectations by becoming the woman she is today. She said: “I have two daughters. I never imagined having children or being a mother.”
Marina added that many people assumed she would never go on to live a “normal life” and she even surprised herself with how well she has accomplished this. Despite lacking formal education, Marina said she managed to survive by simply doing her best and being as good a human as possible, something which has served her well over the years.
“Some in Colombia never thought I’d be able some people never thought I was a person to become a human that will live a normal life. They had no, I mean high aspiration about me. They never thought I would survive. I have no idea how these happen. I never had education. I just pretend to survive and trying to do the best in life to become a good human and I love it.”
She shared that her grandson has just finished at Manchester University where he was studying filming whereas her granddaughter is in college. Concluding her powerful interview, she said: “I’m so grateful and I’m just so grateful to my daughter and my family, my grandchildren.”
It comes after a zookeeper was ripped apart by lions for 15 minutes as a witness revealed why no-one helped.