Missing woman in Australia’s Snowy Mountains found alive after 12 days with snake bite

Lovisa 'Kiki' Sjoberg, 48, was found at 4.50pm on Sunday at a remote fire trail in Kosciuszko National Park, almost two weeks after she was last seen.

A woman missing for 12 days in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains has miraculously been found alive despite suffering a venomous snake bite and “very dehydrated”.

Lovisa “Kiki” Sjoberg was last seen at Kosciuszko National Park driving a grey Mitsubishi Outlander on October 15 after she went for a hike in the rugged Snowy Mountains.

It was only six days later she was reported missing to police when she failed to return her rental car before October 21.

Her rental was found unlocked and abandoned near Kiandra Courthouse, 90km away from Snowy Mountains capital, Cooma.

Despite being a wildlife photographer and familiar with alpine landscape, her friends were extremely worried about Sjoberg’s disappearing labelling it out of character.

A wide-scale search was launched and she was found alive on Sunday at a remote fire trail in Kosciuszko National Park.

Lovisa "Kiki" Sjoberg, 48, was found on Sunday at a remote fire trail in Kosciuszko National Park, almost two weeks after she was last seen.

After extensive searches from authorities, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) officer found her injured on the Nungar Creek Trail.

Paramedics were rushed to the scene where she was treated for exposure and a snake bite Sjoberg said she suffered five days before her rescue.

Her survival is considered miraculous given the rugged terrain of the region.

Superintendent Toby Lindsay told 10 News “she was wandering for days through the bush and quite unwell as a result of what she believes to be a snake bite from a copperhead snake.

“She lived through a pretty tough couple of days by the sounds of it.”

Local horse track operator Peter Cochran, who was involved in the search, told ABC Radio spotting any missing person in the Snowy Mountains is a difficult task.

The 48-year-old was found injured on the Nungar Creek Trail at Kiandra.

“The scrub is incredibly thick ... you could ride within 5m and not see (a person) because the regrowth as a consequence of fires in 2020 has left an incredible amount of scrub up there, dense scrub that you’ve got a job to ride through.

“Kiki was a devout supporter of the Brumby cause and photographed many of those horses which are now deceased, so it was no doubt an emotional drain on her and all of us involved. She’s a tough little soul.”