Lucky escapes from death in the wilderness

For anyone interested in the various survival stories from around the world in different periods in history, one common factor that contributes to a survival situation has to be the combination of luck and sheer personal resilience. The following is a glimpse into three of the most talked-about survival stories on the web.

Stephen Currie

This recent survival story emerged from Queensland Australia reveals one of the most iconic survival stories of all time.

Vast forest of Queensland

Stephen Currie had to endure temperatures of more than 40-degrees and was forced to hunt butterflies, extract water from the holes, and scavenge for wild fruits when fighting for his life. On December 29, 2013, Stephen Currie was reported missing by his family and was subsequently officially listed as missing by local authorities.

However, rescue teams had to give up the search for Stephen after three long weeks. No one expected him ever to emerge alive from the woods, but 28 days after going missing, Stephen was found disoriented and in pretty bad shape walking on a remote track some 10 km from a Western Tableland town; he was only wearing a pair of shorts at the time. Mareeba, Police Department’s senior constable, told reporters that Stephen’s decision to follow the Walsh River eventually saved his life.

Marco Lavoie

A bear approaches a visitor along a road at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. – Author: NPS Photo / Jake Bortscheller

Perhaps the most agonizing situation for any pet lover would be to find yourself faced with a choice to either sacrifice your beloved pet animal or put yourself at risk. But this is precisely what trekker Marco Lavoie had to do when his campsite was attacked and destroyed by a bear along with his limited provisions, 800 kilometers northwest of Montreal.

Lavoie was in fact on a three-month trekking and climbing trip in the Canadian wilderness along with his pet dog when the vicious bear attacked him. Remarkably Lavoie’s life was saved by his German Shepherd who chased the bear away after a fierce fight. After finding himself without food and water, Lavoie was forced to kill his beloved dog only a few days later. The devastated trekker was found in November last year, suffering from hypothermia and severe dehydration, and had lost more than 40 kilograms.

Peter Trayhurn

Lost at sea

Trayhurn and his diving mate Geoff Tosio lost their way at sea when they found themselves stranded off the NSW Mid-North Coast after the anchor line snapped from their dive boat. Both men soon realized that they were alone at sea and that there was no help coming anytime soon; Mr. Trayhurn decided to take some pictures using his camera with a waterproof casing. However not long after they had both lost all hope of being rescued, the duo was spotted by a tanker and were picked up.

The crew on this vessel then handed them over to the police who escorted them back to their dive boat. However, the end of their ordeal was not over yet. Their dive boat quickly capsized as they tried to cross the port’s treacherous area known as Wooli Bar. Both men were exhausted as they found themselves back in the sea and had to swim back to safety.

They lost the camera during the struggle, but miraculously it was found fully functional nearly four years later in 2010.

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