Australian resident Michelle Pitman and her nine-year-old son Dylan survived 10 days without food or water after getting lost in a national park, according to a report by The Sun.
The mother and son became stranded among low-growing trees in a remote section of the park where mobile phone reception was completely unavailable.
Pitman, a fan of the television survival series Ultimate Survival, had walked into the park with her son without telling anyone about her plans. The pair initially walked along marked pedestrian trails before straying off the route and becoming cut off from civilization without any equipment.
Survival techniques in the wild
Pitman said tips from the television show helped them stay alive during their 10 days in the bush. The pair slept under tree branches, licked moisture off leaves, and picked ticks and leeches off each other to endure the conditions.
On the fourth day of their ordeal, suffering from extreme thirst, Pitman urinated into a mobile phone case. She drank a few sips herself before giving the container to her son, convincing him that the liquid was apple juice so he would drink it.
Rescue and hospital treatment
The family remained lost for 10 days until Pitman and Dylan managed to walk onto a wide trail. There they spotted police officers who had been deployed to search for them after her 19-year-old daughter raised the alarm.
Both mother and son were admitted to hospital following their rescue. Medical staff treated them for severe dehydration, exhaustion, swelling in their legs, and multiple insect bites.
National park hazards and aftermath
National parks in Australia cover millions of hectares of wilderness, ranging from dense bushland to arid scrub. Off-trail areas frequently feature rugged terrain and zero mobile network coverage, making navigation difficult for visitors who leave marked paths.
Ultimate Survival is a popular wilderness survival television show in which experts demonstrate techniques for staying alive in extreme conditions. Advice featured on such programs often emphasizes shelter building, finding water sources, and managing body pests.
Pitman admitted that she felt guilty for a long time about putting her son in danger, though Dylan comforted her. She said she believes the shared ordeal ultimately forged a stronger bond between them than they had before.
The incident follows a similar survival case in China, where an 11-year-old boy survived two weeks lost in a jungle by eating figs and drinking rainwater.
