Un trappeur trappé

[Animal 0]

Alberta man survives 96 hours trapped in the wild

Updated Tue. Jan. 22 2008 8:33 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff


An Alberta man who spent four days trapped beneath his all-terrain
vehicle in the woods as coyotes circled nearby says he had to go into
"survival mode" to make it out alive.

On Jan. 8, Ken Hildebrand of Fort McMurray was collecting animal
traps near Livingston Gap, a rural area about 130 kilometres southwest
of Calgary, when his ATV rolled over and pinned his leg.

That's where he would remain for the next three nights -- 96 hours
in all. He had food, water, and even a first aid kit, but all of them
were out of the trapped man's reach.

"I had everything I needed, but I just couldn't get to it," said the 55-year-old
college instructor and part time paramedic.

Making matters worse, a pack of coyotes were just metres away, ready
to pounce at Hildebrand and the beaver meat that was rotting next to
him.

The only thing keeping them from attacking -- a whistle he blew constantly.

But Hildebrand -- who teaches wilderness first aid -- wasn't just
concerned about the wild animals. He also had to face Alberta's winter
temperatures, which dropped to -17 C overnight.

He knew that heat loss was a major concern, and the clothing he had
on wouldn't be enough. Having just collected animal traps, Hildebrand
used a dead beaver to keep himself warm.

"I skinned part of (the beaver) and laid it down beneath my groin and my
stomach," he told CTV News Calgary.

"That's because you lose 30 per cent of the body's heat from your groin area,
and you lose about 60 per cent from your head."

The animal meat he had was rotting, but with no other food, Hildebrand couldn't
be picky. It made him sick, but he ate the decaying meat in his struggle to
survive.

Hildebrand says he had to be inventive. With no water around, he
used his knife to dig the frost from the earth around him. He ate the
dirt, just to get moisture. He also used surveyor's tape to retrieve
some dew.

Just when he thought he would die out in the wild, Hildebrand was found by a
hiker walking his dog.

He was taken to hospital suffering from injuries to his leg,
hypothermia, frostbite, and dehydration. The injuries aren't life
threatening, but he's already had several operations to treat the
frostbite.

Hildebrand, who already has a weak leg due to polio, may still need to have his
foot amputated.

With files from the Associated Press

[animo-aequoanimo 0]

Citation :

Hildebrand, who already has a weak leg due to polio, may still need to have his foot amputated.

Il ne pourra plus autant trapper et peut-être m►me plus du tout. Voilà où ça l'a conduit.