Liberia Case

Even in this modern day and age places like Liberia, The Congo, and the tribes of Korowai all still practice and eat human flesh as a cultural ceremonies. Cannibalism is still known to be used in rituals and in war in various Melanesian tribes. This harrowing fact shows how backward countries and isolated places in the world are as compared to the modernized countries around the world today. Cannibalism can be used as a last ditch effort for survival or used in traditional ceremonies in some cultures around the world. In some of the most desperate survival situations, cannibalism becomes the only way to live in the harshest of environments. This challenge arose famously in 1972 when a Uruguayan rugby team's plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. Little did they know upon leaving Uruguay, they were destined to crash in the Andes Mountains and even worse after 10 days of cold and starvation, they begin resorting to cannibalism?

On October 13, 1972, Team Uruguay, along with family and friends, were flying over the Andes when suddenly their plane crashed. This crash marooned all of the passengers in a remote and desolate area of the Andes. More than a quarter of the 45 passengers originally on board died on impact. Once they landed in the harsh 3,600 meter above sea level climate, they soon realized the severity of their situation. Nights high in the Andes Mountains dip well below freezing (about negative 30 or 40 degrees fehrenheight). Along with harsh weather conditions, they were forced to cope with the fact that there was no wildlife or foliage anywhere. The thick snow and ice along with solid permafrost underneath made it so that "not even the most resilient plant could grow in much less thrive" (Jacobson 12). Faced with this harsh environment, they were forced to use the wreckage for makeshift supplies, tearing out seat upholstery cushions and even wearing the clothes of their dead comrades simply to stay alive. Food was also a problem as nobody expected such a harrowing ordeal to fall upon them. They were simply supplied with airplane snacks such as peanuts and chocolate and a few other meager snacks the passengers had taken with them. They split the food up trying to make it last longer but they were soon burning more calories than they were consuming. In other words, they were slowly starving.

With supplies dwindling, the survivors lasted several days living from the plane but food became scarce and they heard, over a makeshift radio they created, that their search party was called off. The survivors then resorted to cannibalism to survive in the harsh arctic like weather of the Andes. They consumed their friends and families that were preserved in the snow. For 72 days they fed on human remains until a small group from the rugby team set out to reach civilization. Eventually found by Chilean farmers, the search party and the other survivors made it home safe. Little did they know their last ditch effort