A woman found 12 days after she went missing in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales was “stunned” and “lucky to be alive”, say police, who warned others not to go hiking without notifying authorities.
Lovisa ‘Kiki’ Sjoberg, 48, was found at 4.50pm on Sunday on a remote fire trail in Kosciuszko National Park suffering from a snake bite, an ankle injury and extreme dehydration.
Monaro Police District Commander Superintendent Toby Lindsay praised search teams for the massive hunt “under difficult conditions”, which included rescue bomb disposal, rural fire service volunteers, police on horseback, aircraft and a helicopter
He said that when she was seen on the Nungar Creek trail in Kiandra, she was “walking through bushes, dazed and injured” and indicated that she had been “bitten by a snake four days earlier, had sprained her ankle and was dehydrated.”
“She was actually very lucky to be alive and she went through some pretty tough times,” Superintendent Lindsay said, adding that anyone intending to hike like Ms. Sjoberg must fill out “an intention to travel form” and register with the police
Lovisa ‘Kiki’ Sjoberg was found at 4.50pm on Sunday on a remote fire trail in Kosciuszko National Park after being missing for 12 days.
After a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) officer found her, paramedics called to the scene treated her for exposure and a snakebite before she was taken to Cooma District Hospital, where she was recovering and in stable condition.
The award-winning brumby photographer and conservationist was seen on the morning of October 15 in her gray Mitsubishi Outlander rental car, although her last contact with another person was on October 8.
Alarm bells for Ms Sjoberg, from nearby Jindabyne and who has photographed for Harpers Bizarre magazine, went off a week ago when car hire staff realized her hire car was six days late.
It was found open and abandoned near Kiandra Courthouse, 90 kilometers northwest of Cooma, the capital of the Snowy Mountains.
Although they were familiar with the local alpine landscape, concerned friends said Sjoberg’s disappearance was out of character.
They have expressed their relief and joy. in facebook posts since the news of his recovery.
Police and NPWS officers had been searching for trails in the six-square-kilometre national park, known for its waterfalls and limestone gorges.
Lovisa ‘Kiki’ Sjoberg, 48, did not return her rental car and had not been seen since October 15, but was finally found on Sunday afternoon, dehydrated and possibly suffering from a snake bite.
Michelle and Ian Brown posted photos of the search in Kosciuszko National Park (above) for their friend and wild horse conservation colleague and personally toured the area alongside police and NPWS officers.
Their rental vehicle was discovered unlocked in the remains of the ancient settlement of Kiandra, an abandoned gold mining town.
Local racecourse operator Peter Cochran, who was involved in the search, said she often went out into the wild and took photographs of the brumbies as she was a “devout supporter” of their cause.
He said locating Sjoberg was the result of an “intense” effort by volunteers and community members along with officials.
Police officers including those from the horse and dog units, SES, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Rural Fire Service and a Surf Life Saving helicopter were part of the search effort.
‘The bushes are incredibly thick… you could travel five meters away and not see (a person) because the regrowth as a result of the fires in 2020 has left an incredible amount of bush up there, dense bush that you have a job to overcome “Mr Cochran told ABC Radio South East NSW.
Fellow Brumby photographers and wild horse activists Michelle Maree Brown and Ian Brown regularly alerts posted on social networks And he stated that Ms Sjoberg “knows the country and travels constantly through the KNP”.
Mrs Sjoberg is a local hero in the “save the brumbies” movement since she found and photographed the bodies of a mob of 11 wild horses.
Kiki Sjoberg’s unlocked rental vehicle was found in the Kiandra heritage village, but there was no sign of the 48-year-old for 12 days until the national parks officer found her on a remote trail.
Ms Sjoberg found and photographed the bodies of a mob of 11 wild horses mysteriously shot to death in September 2022.
Mysteriously shot to death in September 2022, the mob was a family led by a brumby stallion the Browns called Arrow Boy, and included a pregnant mare.
Ms. Sjoberg’s renowned work includes photographs she took of Snowy Mountain landscapes blanketed in red smoke during the 2019-2020 wildfire season.