Mushroom hunters lost in woods

GENDARMES in the Dordogne are warning mushroom hunters to take ‘common sense’ precautions due to people becoming lost in the forest looking for cèpes.

They included, this week, one mushroom hunter who got lost in woods near Tonneins, Lot-et-Garonne.

The Dordogne gendarmerie says in a statement: “With the proliferation of cèpes in the Dordogne, reports of people getting lost are multiplying”.

To avoid this happening they recommend:

• If you do not know the area well, stick to marked paths

• Whether you are going out alone or as a group, prepare for it as you would for a hike, with water and cereal bars, a torch, a mobile phone – and a whistle for attracting attention

• If you get lost, do not panic and listen out for gendarmes looking for you who will be using a two-tone siren in their vehicles. Follow the sound to make your way out.

The gendarmes add that if someone has an accident in the forest, companions should help them walk out if they can – if not, they advise keeping them covered and insulated from the ground, even if just ‘using a bed of leaves’.

Take careful note of where the person is and then go and get help.

The gendarmes add: “Do not hesitate to leave behind markers to find the way, like Le Petit Poucet.” [who in Charles Perrault’s fairy tale left white stones and breadcrumbs to help to find his way home, like Hansel and Gretel].