A 62-year-old Australian man lost for six days in the Outback has been found alive, surviving without water and by eating ants, say police.
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Australian police say Reg had only a T-shirt, shorts, cap and flip-flops on and he was found after trackers followed his footsteps for nine miles.
Police followed the tracks until they found Foggerdy leaning against a tree in extremely poor condition. Mr Foggerdy was given first aid before being taken to AngloGold Ashanti’s Tropicana mine, where a doctor is treating him before he is flown to a medical facility.
Superintendent Andy Gratewood from Kalgoorlie Police told ABC News that Mr Foggerdy had seen out the last couple of days by eating black ants and resting under a tree. Ms Ogden said her brother could not hear the search crews looking for him because the bush was so dense.
Temperatures in the area can rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and Greatwood confirmed Foggerdy had no access to water for six days.
Mr Foggerdy’s wife Arlyn told 6PR radio her husband went hunting every year with his brother but she was not going to let him do it again.
‘It’s been extremely hot, extremely remote and most people probably wouldn’t have survived, so he’s done a fantastic job, ‘ he said.
But despite the huge size of the Ozzie outback, rescuers did not give up hope of finding the “experienced bushman”.
Mr Foggerdy’s sister Christine Ogden said Mr Foggerdy’s son Gavin still did not believe his father was alive. “Emotions have been up and down, it has been terrible”, she said.
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“They must have been very close to him (when Monday’s search finished)”, she said.
