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Hunter survives 6 days in Outback by eating ants

By Tomas Monzon
62-year-old retired miner and grandfather Reginald Foggerdy was found in the Western Australia Desert after six days without water and eating black ants for survival. Photo courtesy of Western Australia Police/Twitter
1 of 3 | 62-year-old retired miner and grandfather Reginald Foggerdy was found in the Western Australia Desert after six days without water and eating black ants for survival. Photo courtesy of Western Australia Police/Twitter

LAVERTON, Australia, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- A missing man was found Tuesday in Australia's Great Victoria Desert after surviving six days there by eating ants.

Retired miner and grandfather Reginald Foggerdy, 62, went missing Wednesday after he embarked on a hunting trip with his brother. Police said he was wearing only a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops when he started his adventure. After he was reported missing, police officers and Aboriginal trackers teamed up to conduct a large land and air search.

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{link:Police Superintendent Andy Greatwood told CNN:"http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/13/asia/australia-desert-hunter-survival-ants/" target="_blank"} Foggerdy was "extremely dehydrated" and "a bit delusional" when officers found him, adding that Foggerdy took refuge under a tree and ate blacks ants to survive. He was transported first to the Tropicana gold mine about 86 miles away and then to the city of Kalgoorlie.

First aid was administered and Foggerdy was able to sit up and talk, "looking very positive" according to Greatwood.

Western Australia Police took to Twitter to post photos of Foggerdy when he was found as well as the search process.

Foggerdy's wife Arlyn told CNN that she cried upon hearing the news. His sister Christine Ogden told the West Australian she had a hunch her brother would be found today when she went to sleep last night.

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Temperatures in the area can rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and Greatwood confirmed Foggerdy had no access to water for six days.

Foggerdy's family said that although he is an experienced hunter, they have now advised him to purchase a satellite phone.

Foggerdy was found approximately 9 miles from where he was reported missing, a point which is about 105 miles east of the nearest town, Laverton.

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