Just Wait Until You Hear What This Man Who Was Lost in the Woods for 19 Days Ate to Survive

A 72-year-old San Francisco man spent 19 days surviving on squirrels, lizards and a snake, after he got lost in Mendocino National Forrest during a hunting trip.

"Three squirrels are dead ... because of me," Gene Penaflor, who had been missing since Sept. 24, told KTVU-TV.

Gene Penaflor, 72, survived in the woods for 19 days eating squirrels and lizards. (Image Source: KTVU-TV)

"He was able to make a fire and warm himself with leaves and grasses that he packed around his body," Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Lt. Shannon Barney said in a release. "On days when it rained or snowed he was able to crawl under a large log to stay dry. He was able to kill and eat several squirrels in the area and there was plenty of water in a nearby drainage to sustain himself."

Penaflor went missing after becoming "disoriented" when he hit his head and fell unconscious for a period of time. A "thick bank of fog enveloped him," according to Barney.

Detective Andrew Porter added that Penaflor was sure he'd eventually succumb to the wilderness and die.

"He knew at some point he was going to die, but he figured he'd last as long as he could," Porter said, according to the Ukiah Daily Journal.

Watch a local news clip, courtesy of KTVU:

Penaflor was only discovered after another group of hunters stumbled upon the area and heard his calls for help.

"The hunter later called to say that his hunting group had located the person calling for help, determined it was Gene Penaflor, and were rendering aid to him," Barney said. "The group of hunters then rigged a makeshift stretcher from their coats and several poles they cut in the area."

Penaflor spent Sunday recovering in a hospital with his family.

"He's good," his youngest son, Jeremy, said with a smile, according to the Ukiah Daily Journal. "He's just like he was when I saw him last, except his beard grew."

"It was hard on the family," he added. "I knew my dad would do what he needed to do to survive, even if it meant eating squirrels or the occasional bug."

(H/T: San Francisco Chronicle)

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