Brisbane, Australia CNN —
A woman who went missing while hiking alone in Australia’s Snowy Mountains was left “dazed and injured” on Sunday after sustaining serious injuries believed to be from a snake bite while missing for nearly two weeks. Police said he was found in a condition.
Lovisa Sjoberg, 48, was found by rescue workers on Sunday afternoon as she walked through bushland in Kosciuszko National Park, southwest of the capital Canberra.
NSW Police Superintendent Toby Lindsay said on Monday that a man was “lucky to be alive” after being bitten by a snake that may have been a pit viper. This venomous species can inflict a painful bite that can be fatal if not treated by a doctor.
“She advised me that about four days ago I had been bitten by a snake and twisted my ankle and was dehydrated,” Lindsey said. “She was actually very lucky to be alive, but she went through some pretty tough times.”
It’s unclear how long Sjoberg was missing in the wilderness, but he was last seen driving a rental car on October 15.
Police only began investigating her whereabouts last Monday after the car rental company reported that the car had not been returned.
Officers tracked the car to Kiandra, a former gold-mining town near the mountains, investigating the theory that Sjöberg, an avid photographer and experienced hiker, had set out on foot and gotten lost in the wilderness. .
Police sent helicopters and planes to search for her by road, on foot and on horseback for six days before finding her on Sunday.
The northern part of Kosciuszko National Park recently reopened to visitors after being closed every winter. The park was closed two months ago this year to allow the aerial killing of deer, pigs and wild horses, known as brumbies, in an effort to protect the alpine environment.
Ms Sjoberg has an Instagram account dedicated to images of wild horses, and members of the Brumby Advocacy Group expressed serious concerns about her welfare on social media.
A plan by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to shoot brumbies from a helicopter has led to a failed legal bid to stop this year’s culling.
The government said the culling was necessary to protect the native flora and fauna that live in the alpine wilderness, which is vulnerable to large numbers of wild animals.
The Snowy Mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range, a mountain range approximately 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) long that includes some of Australia’s highest peaks. It is popular with hikers and skiers visiting nearby resorts during the annual ski season.
