Lovisa Sjoberg survived 12 days in the Snowy Mountains. She lived 'like an animal'.

Lovisa 'Kiki' Sjoberg has been found after surviving 12 days on her own in the Snowy Mountains, New South Wales.

Despite being bitten by a snake and temperatures plummeting below zero, the avid photographer managed to stay alive in the wilderness until she was rescued by a National Parks and Wildlife Service officer. 

The man who found her, living off creeks and her own dehydrated food rations said, "She can live like an animal".

The search for Sjoberg began back on Monday, October 21, when a car hire company alerted police to a vehicle she had rented that had not been returned. 

They soon realised that Sjoberg was missing, having last been seen driving the car around 7am on Tuesday, October 15.

Police used GPS to hunt down the grey Mitsubishi Outlander, which was found in the northeastern corner of Kosciuszko National Park, at Kiandra courthouse in an old gold mining town. 

Sjoberg, a 48-year-old photographer, was a Snowy Mountains resident, after moving from Stockholm, Sweden to Sydney more than 20 years ago, and then to the alpine region in 2018. 

Sjoberg had been a fierce advocate for the local brumbies (wild horses), especially after the NSW government announced they would resume the aerial shooting of them in the park to manage their growing numbers. 

She frequented Kosciuszko National Park to photograph the brumbies and advocate for their safety.

"She was passionate about saving the horses and recording the beauty of them," said horse trek operator Peter Cochran. "She was one that was highly regarded, not just as a photographer, but… [for] her total passion for the horses and the mountains up there."

Image: Supplied by NSW Police.

Despite initial enquiries, it appeared that Sjoberg had simply vanished into the bush. 

Finding the abandoned vehicle in Kiandra kicked off a six-day multi-agency effort to find her — by foot, horseback, vehicle, plane and helicopter. 

Cochran, who was out on horseback looking for Sjoberg, said that the shrub regrowth after the bushfires didn't help matters. 

"It's almost impossible to ride a horse through at places," he said. "The scrub is incredibly thick… you can ride within five metres of them and not see them."

The conditions were tough for a hiker. 

The Bureau of Meteorology reported temperatures dropping as low as zero while she was in the elements. There was also rainfall the week she was missing. 

Spring is also known as copperhead season in the area — a venomous snake whose bite can be deadly, although most people will survive it with modern medicine. Their venom has neurotoxic properties and can cause respiratory distress. 

Several agencies worked together to search for Sjoberg, including the NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue, police units, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the State Emergency Service and the Rural Fire Service. People searched in four-wheel drives, on trail bikes, on horses and even members of the public hiked on foot. 

"It's an enormous area," said Inspector Paul Campbell-Allen, unit commander for the BSAR. "It really can be the kind of needle in the haystack."

"Then they were looking at tracking where all the brumbies' movements were, so where the herds were moving, because that was a likely target for her," he added.

A helicopter used in the search. Image: Illawarra Police Rescue Squad.

When their searches were still not yielding results, the search and rescue teams changed tactics, going for what they call 'fast reconnaissance'. 

They were not aware of what food or equipment Sjoberg had, so speed became paramount as they got further into the search. In the meantime, they hoped that Sjoberg located the creek line and had been able to find water. 

After six days of searching, at 4.50pm on Sunday, October 27, a National Parks and Wildlife Service officer found Sjoberg at Nungar Creek Trail near Kiandra. 

She was described as "dazed and injured" with a suspected copperhead snake bite. She had also rolled her ankle and was suffering from dehydration. 

The officer who found her said she had survived on her own instincts. 

"She survives well on the very basics," he said. "She can live like an animal."

Superintendent Toby Lindsay, commander of the Monaro police district said Sjoberg was "pretty fortunate to be alive." 

He added that she was "quite unwell" and was taken to Cooma Hospital to recover. 

Horse trekker Cochran said she showed "immense courage to stay [alive] there as long as she did."

When he found out she was alive, he said, "To say I was close to a tear is not far off. It was a hell of an emotional relief."

"She's known to live on dehydrated rations… the girl is quite amazing," he added. 

Community groups shared in the jubilation that the photographer and advocate would live to tell the tale. 

Some commented in groups that Sjoberg's lucky survival and rescue was connected to her love of the brumbies. 

"The brumbies watched over you," a community member wrote.

Featured image: NSW Police.