72-year-old Fil-Am hunter rescued after getting lost in forest for 19 days

The Mendocino National Forest DAVID ISLE/FS.USDA.GOV

SAN FRANCISCO—Filipino-American Gene Penaflor, who went missing on a hunting trip in the Mendocino National Forest, has survived his ordeal and been rescued.

Penaflor, 72, a resident of Bernal Heights, was found Saturday after he had been missing for 19 days. He was separated from his deer-hunting companion. He said he bumped his head and lost consciousness. He got disoriented when he regained consciousness and could not find his way back to their starting point.

Penaflor ate lizards, frogs and squirrels to survive and kept warm by sleeping under fallen trees when temperatures dropped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit on some nights.

Then help came from a group of hunters who heard his shouts. They fashioned a stretcher from branches and their jackets to bring Penaflor to safety.

He made it to a hospital in nearby Ukiah where doctors treated him. Now he is back home.