Oscar Antonio González Caballero, a 57-year-old Paraguayan professor from Caaguazú, was rescued alive on Sunday after spending between two and five days lost in a dense forest area in Argentina's Misiones province. The man had crossed the border earlier in the week to recover a weather balloon used in an academic project, whose tracker indicated it had fallen in the rural area of Colonia Delicia.
According to his account to police, after spending the night at the presumed crash site, he went back into the forest. After advancing about 400 meters while clearing a path, he was chased by a large animal, which he described as a "tiger," a regional term for jaguar. During the escape, he lost his bearings, his cell phone, and a flashlight.
With nearly 20 years of experience in wilderness activities, González survived by rationing a two-liter bottle of water and some cookies, and hydrating at a spring and a stream. To protect himself during the nights, he sought refuge by climbing trees, suffering a fall that caused a blow to his face in addition to foot injuries.
The complex search mobilized personnel from the Misiones Police of Regional Unit III of Eldorado, employees of the Arauco company, and volunteers. A drone was used to fly over the region and guide the rescue team from the air.
After locating him, rescuers faced the difficult task of extracting him from the thick forest, walking with him for hours and using chainsaws and machetes to clear a path to Provincial Route 18. From there, a police vehicle took him to Colonia Delicia Hospital.
When found, González was lucid and oriented but with significant physical weakness due to hunger. He was hospitalized for observation, ending a period of anguish for his family.