A 72-year-old hunter who was injured in a California forest and was lost for 19 days survived the ordeal by eating squirrels and lizards and covering himself with leaves to stay warm, authorities said.
Gene Penaflor of San Francisco was found in Mendocino National Forest by other hunters over the weekend, who carried him to safety on a makeshift stretcher, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said in a written statement.
Mr Penaflor had been missing since September 24 when he didn't meet up with his hunting partner for lunch, said sheriff's Detective Andrew Porter.
The two had split up for several hours to hunt deer, and during his hike, Mr Penaflor fell and struck his head. He later told detectives he woke up disoriented amid thick fog. He walked for a time but stopped when he didn't know where he was.
Detective Porter said Mr Penaflor decided to spend the night near a water source to tend to a cut on his chin. The next two days, he saw a helicopter and tried to send a smoke signal but no one saw him.
He said he sustained himself on squirrels, lizards, a snake, berries and algae. To keep dry and warm from the rain and snow, he crawled under a large log and covered himself with leaves and grasses, authorities said.
He saw deer but didn't have the energy to shoot them, Detective Porter said.
"He knew at some point he was going to die, but he figured he'd last as long as he could," the detective said.
The sheriff's office said an initial search involving several agencies was called off when a storm was on its way and there was no sign of Mr Penaflor.
The search was reactivated on Saturday, and a group of hunters found Penaflor when someone in the group heard a voice calling for help from the bottom of a canyon. He was located about three miles from where he had disappeared.
Mr Penaflor's son, Jeremy, said his father was in good condition after being airlifted to Ukiah Valley Medical Centre.
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