University Prez Survives 4 Days Lost in Swamp

A distinguished Colombian academic "became Rambo" to survive 4 days lost in Louisiana swamps, his sister-in-law says. Francisco Piedrahita, 65, a university president and renowned humanitarian, became lost during what was supposed to be a brief birdwatching jaunt in the vast Jean Lafitte National Park. Piedrahita, who had nothing to eat or drink during the ordeal, managed to avoid the snakes and alligators that abound in the area, the Times-Picayune reports.

Rescuers praised Piedrahita for doing what people lost in wilderness are supposed to do: Stay put. He spent most of the time knee-deep in mud on a small island in the middle of a swamp. Piedrahita, who was found exhausted, dehydrated, and covered in hundreds of insect bites, is recovering in a local hospital. "He is in surprisingly good shape after having been stuck in the swamp so long," says a doctor, who was surprised to hear that the professor had not had any survivalist training. (More Louisiana stories.)