In arid zone, he survived on ant diet

Reg Foggerdy (62) seen in this undated handout photo disappeared on October 7 heading to the Shooter's Shack camp near Laverton in the West Australian Goldfields, some 950 kilometres (600 miles) northeast of Perth, on a hunting trip. Mr. Foggerdy was missing for six days in a remote Australian desert in searing heat without water before being found after surviving by eating black ants, police said.

A 62-year-old recreational hunter lost in a hot and arid region of the Australian Outback survived without water for six days by eating ants, police said on Tuesday.

Reg Foggerdy left a car driven by his brother late Wednesday in pursuit of a camel in the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia State, Police Superintendent Andy Greatwood said.

Police trackers found the former miner sitting under a tree on Tuesday morning 15 kilometres (9 miles) from where he became lost. “He just spent the last two days under a tree eating black ants and that sustained him,” Mr. Greatwood said. “When we found him, he was extremely dehydrated, disoriented and basically delusional.”

He is sitting up and talking

A paramedic immediately gave Mr. Foggerdy intravenous fluid and he recovered quickly. “The good news is he was sitting up and talking,” Mr. Greatwood said.

Mr. Foggerdy was airlifted by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to the Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital.