72-year-old man survives 19 days in the wilderness by eating squirrels

Squirrels, lizards, algae and a snake kept a 72-year-old man alive in the California forest for almost three weeks before a group of hunters found him weakened but breathing this weekend.

CBS News reported Gene Penaflor was hunting in the Mendocino National Forest with a friend when the pair split up, saying they would meet again later in the day. Penaflor told CBS he hit his head, passed out and woke up confused and lost.

"I didn't panic because panic would kill me right away. I knew that," Penaflor told KSWB San Diego.

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Penaflor's son, Jeremy, told NBC News his dad has hunted for more than 20 years and when he learned he was missing, he wondered how the experienced outdoors man could have lost his way.

In this end, his experience helped him stay alive for 19 days in the forest as he found shelter, stayed warm by lighting fires and ate small animals, such as squirrels and lizards. A group of hunters heard the elderly man yelling for help from a canyon on Saturday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and after calling for help, they began to carry him to safety on a stretcher made of coats.

He was treated in hospital and released in time to watch the 49ers football game on Sunday, according to NBC.

This summer, an 86-year-old man in Alberta survived a night in the forest after his vehicle became stuck in the mud and 93-year-old friend, who had left to find help, forgot to return and pick him up until the following day.