A 63-year-old British traveler was rescued after enduring a harrowing night in a jungle teeming with snakes. Gordon Dewar, who had been on a cycling expedition across Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand, opted to explore a forest trail off the main route to immerse himself in nature. However, he lost his way in the rugged terrain on January 10.
Gordon, running out of food and water, found himself stranded in the forest as darkness fell. He chose to spend the night in the dense woodland before alerting the authorities the next morning. Throughout the night, he faced the presence of cobras, pit vipers, bears, elephants, and leopards until rescue teams located him.
Expressing his relief, Gordon stated, “I am immensely grateful they found me. Devoid of sustenance, I doubt I could have survived another night. I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in my rescue.”
The Chiang Mai Tourist Police received the distress call around 10:30 am local time, prompting a swift response from local rescuers, a group of motocross riders, volunteers, and drone operators to comb the jungle. Following the nature trail, they discovered Gordon, responsive but fatigued and dehydrated after enduring approximately 15 hours without food or water.
The leader of the Phrao rescue team mentioned, “He informed us that he had been without sufficient hydration for about 12 hours. After contacting the Tourist Police, who then coordinated with us, we received the alert around 10:30 am and reached him by nearly 1 pm. He had been awaiting aid for approximately three hours.” Approximately 10 team members were dispatched to assist him, navigating the challenging terrain due to the mountainous landscape. They also had to transport his bicycle out of the area. While slightly weakened from lack of nourishment, Gordon’s overall health condition was stable.
Medical professionals provided Gordon with water, mineral supplements, and treatment for his minor injuries. Additionally, he had incurred muscle strain from continuous days of cycling. Gordon was successfully extracted from the forest using a motocross motorcycle, accompanied by his intact bicycle. He mentioned that he had been exploring cycling paths around Chiang Mai and the neighboring Mae Hong Son provinces but opted for an alternate route on his return to the city center. After enjoying a packed lunch, he expressed his gratitude to the rescue team before riding away on his bicycle.