Bear Grylls Tips Save, Nearly Doom Man Lost in Outback

The man survived 3 days by burying himself in the sand
By Josh Rosenblatt,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2017 11:50 AM CDT
Updated Aug 12, 2017 6:30 AM CDT
Man Survives the Outback Using Reality-TV Tips
Bear Grylls   (AP Photo/Discovery Channel, Luis Enrique Ascui)

A British man survived for three days in the Australian Outback using techniques he learned watching survival reality shows on television, but authorities say those same techniques nearly prevented him from being rescued. Anthony Collis was traveling with Debbie Blomfield (described in various media as his "partner," "traveling companion," or "girlfriend") through the remote Pilbara region of northwest Australia Thursday, when their car got bogged down in muddy terrain, per the Independent. The two then walked off in separate directions, with the Telegraph noting they'd allegedly had an argument. Blomfield walked for 5 miles before showing up, disoriented and dehydrated, in a mining camp, where she reported Collis missing.

Authorities initiated a search involving planes, helicopters, and aboriginal trackers and quickly found the couple's car and some of Collis' clothes and gear. But officials assumed Collis was dead because he failed to appear on their heat-detecting devices. Little did they know that Collis was undetectable because he'd buried himself in sand and leaves to protect himself from the cold, a trick he says he learned watching British adventurer Bear Grylls on television. Police officers found Collis on Sunday less than 2 miles from his vehicle. During that time Collis survived by eating bugs and flowers, a trick he also learned from Grylls. (More Bear Grylls stories.)

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