View Full Version : film-maker airlifted from wildernes- dying of starvation
Iraq Ninja
08-26-09, 18:55
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/08/25/article-0-062DD500000005DC-455_468x386.jpg
It promised to stretch reality television to the limit: one man pitting his wits against the Yukon wilderness with just a camera for company.
But hopes for an epic three-month contest between man and nature were dashed when adventurer Ed Wardle failed to go the distance.
Seven weeks after striding out into the rugged forests of western Canada armed with a rifle and a fishing rod, Mr Wardle had to be airlifted back to civilisation suffering from starvation.
He sent out a distress call five weeks before he was due to finish filming his one-man survival programme Alone In The Wild for Channel 4.
'Intrepid explorer' Ed Wardle went deep into the Yukon wilderness for Channel 4 - but ended up on the brink of starvation
Last night the broadcaster faced criticism for allowing him to attempt the expedition unaided and apparently unprepared, to entertain viewers.
During his adventure, Mr Wardle, 34, was permitted to send out a daily posting on the Twitter website and transmit a single electronic signal confirming he was still alive.
Channel 4 handlers tracked his progress through the 500,000 square mile wilderness using a GPS satellite tracking device.
To make the survival challenge as authentic as possible he avoided all human contact and left video tapes at drop-off points to be picked up by collection teams in a helicopter.
Mr Wardle lived off berries and any animals he could catch while trekking between hand-built shelters made out of fallen trees.
At first he appeared to be weathering the challenge, despite his lack of survival training.
He had been confident of finding regular food, telling the Daily Mail prior to setting off: 'I imagine I have a long future of fish-eating in front of me. It's going to be trout and grayling for 12 weeks.
'But meat's a relatively easy thing to get your hands on too. There are hares, squirrels and gophers. They're good to eat because they're fatty.
'The porcupines are easy to catch because they don't move very fast. As long as you're careful with the spines, they're a good source of food. You hit it with a big stick, roll it over, slice it open and peel the skin back, the same as you would any mammal.'
The great outdoors: But Channel 4 have been criticised for the stunt, and lack of training for the programme
The great outdoors: But Channel 4 have been criticised for the stunt, and lack of training for the programme
However, friends following his progress on Twitter - including long-term girlfriend Amanda Murray who lives with him in Islington, North London - became increasingly concerned when he appeared to start losing his grip on reality, hallucinating and talking to insects as starvation set in.
Two weeks ago he tweeted about losing weight rapidly, saying his muscles were 'disappearing'. Most alarming of all, he counted his heartbeat at just 32 beats-per-minute. A healthy range is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
His condition eventually deteriorated so much that he used his emergency satellite telephone to call for help. He was airlifted out after 50 days, and arrived back in London on Monday. He is now being treated at home.
John Beyer, Director of Media Watch, said last night: 'This is a pretty foolish enterprise. If Channel 4 are going to send people on this kind of expedition, they really must make sure they are up to it and have the skills necessary to survive.
'If they first of all did not check that Ed Wardle was competent, then that is the height of irresponsibility on the part of Channel 4, to do that merely to provide entertainment for us all back home to watch this man steadily deteriorate.'
Mr Wardle was chosen for the project because of his abilitiy as a cameraman and producer, and his experience of filming in the North Pole and on the summit of Everest.
He has worked on shows for Channel 4, ITV, BBC and Discovery.
But he had no specific training for living alone in the remote territory, 80 per cent of which is pristene wilderness.
he was probably eating the wrong shit, and not enough of it still. i don't know about other rodents, but rabbit, for one, will not sustain you. if you ate nothing but rabbit for 50 days, you'd starve to death- humans can't metabolize rabit protein. it's missing required amino acids.
think they'll still do the show?
Heavy Metal
08-26-09, 19:26
The problem with Rabbit Starvation is a lack of fat. Rabbit is too lean.
This goober should have been looking to suppliment his rabbit with as much fat as possible. Mainly nuts. Roots would be a good suppliment for carbs. Cattail roots anyone?
If he wanted a easy fat source, he should have used that shotgun to down an elk or a moose.
Mountaineering, is not remote unassisted wilderness living. Since they spent so much money on this failed adventure, I bet they will air something anyway.:eek:
He probably should have read a bit of Jon Krakauer before he embarked on his little trip.
Thomas M-4
08-26-09, 22:28
I saw the preview episode 30min thing. The guy had that shot gun and he tried to shoot a duck I think it was it was like 60 yards away :rolleyes: I could tell the guy didn't know firearms and his survival skills looked questionable. He kept running away from a moose or elk I forget which but he was scared to death of running into one :confused: I could not but help to think I would be trying to hunt any big game I could moose,elk ,or bear. And I wouldn't have that HD shotgun bolt action 30-06 or something similar.
The guy had that shot gun and he tried to shoot a duck I think it was it was like 60 yards away :rolleyes: I could tell the guy didn't know firearms and his survival skills looked questionable. He kept running away from a moose or elk I forget which but he was scared to death of running into one :confused: I could not but help to think I would be trying to hunt any big game I could moose,elk ,or bear. And I wouldn't have that HD shotgun bolt action 30-06 or something similar.
A 60 yd. shot, with an 18 inch barreled shotgun at a duck is an unethical shot mho. He was likely afraid of the Moose, when they are rutting they can charge and be very agreesive and hard to stop. A shotgun, is not a moose gun.
Thomas M-4
08-26-09, 22:43
A 60 yd. shot, with an 18 inch barreled shotgun at a duck is an unethical shot mho. He was likely afraid of the Moose, when they are rutting they can charge and be very agreesive and hard to stop. A shotgun, is not a moose gun.
It was on the discovery channel it was his 1 week test or something but he didn't do great on his trial run he didn't eat much of anything. I got the impression he didn't know what he was getting into. If I am surviving months in the wilderness I am going to be prepared to take any big game I can. And not armed with a HD shotgun the impression that I got he didn't even know what kind of load he had in the gun.
A shotgun, is not a moose gun.
If that is what I had ONLY, and I knew it was "for keeps"....me and that moose would be fixing to have a shooting contest.
I guarantee I can get 2-4 shots out of an 870 and hit 4" clay birds at distance moving in just a second or so. The head and face of a moose, even if charging, would be a cakewalk in comparison. Then again, I know WTF I am doing in that regard.
That being said, he was set up to fail from the start. No trapping or other survival skills? Yikes.
Heavy Metal
08-26-09, 23:06
A 60 yd. shot, with an 18 inch barreled shotgun at a duck is an unethical shot mho. He was likely afraid of the Moose, when they are rutting they can charge and be very agreesive and hard to stop. A shotgun, is not a moose gun.
Put a slug in it and it surely is.
If that is what I had ONLY, and I knew it was "for keeps"....me and that moose would be fixing to have a shooting contest.
I guarantee I can get 2-4 shots out of an 870 and hit 4" clay birds at distance moving in just a second or so. The head and face of a moose, even if charging, would be a cakewalk in comparison. Then again, I know WTF I am doing in that regard.
That being said, he was set up to fail from the start. No trapping or other survival skills? Yikes.
It is much easier to break a clay pigeon, at any distance, than to bring down Northern duck. They take a solid hit to bring down, with a 28-30 inch barrel. If you can hit anything flying at 40 m.p.h. at 60 yds with an 18 inch barrel, while starving, that is very good shooting. Most guys could not hit that duck, let alone bring it down.
Number 2 steel shot, is not an ideal Moose load. I don't know if he even had any other options for ammunition for big game.
I have hunted and taken Western Canada Moose. I can tell you many guys would not want to stand in front on an angry, rutting Bull with a shotgun without slugs and calmly get the job done. A frontal neck shot with steel shot, would be unlikely to break the C spine on a bull moose. I don't think that anything is a cakewalk about standing in front of a charging 1,200-1,500 lb. animal who will stomp you pancake flat, or gore you like a shiskabob, when all you have is a shotgun. You may kill it, but can you stop it before you are road kill....
Put a slug in it and it surely is.
Who said he had slugs.:confused:
He is not shooting at any ducks with slugs.
If I were him, I would be looking for a Mountain Caribou.
Thomas M-4
08-26-09, 23:27
If that is what I had ONLY, and I knew it was "for keeps"....me and that moose would be fixing to have a shooting contest.
I guarantee I can get 2-4 shots out of an 870 and hit 4" clay birds at distance moving in just a second or so. The head and face of a moose, even if charging, would be a cakewalk in comparison. Then again, I know WTF I am doing in that regard.
That being said, he was set up to fail from the start. No trapping or other survival skills? Yikes.
It is much easier to break a clay pigeon, at any distance, than to bring down Northern duck. They take a solid hit to bring down, with a 28-30 inch barrel. If you can hit anything flying at 40 m.p.h. at 60 yds with an 18 inch barrel, while starving, that is very good shooting. Most guys could not hit that duck, let alone bring it down.
Number 2 steel shot, is not an ideal Moose load. I don't know if he even had any other options for ammunition for big game.
I have hunted and taken Western Canada Moose. I can tell you many guys would not want to stand in front on an angry, rutting Bull with a shotgun without slugs and calmly get the job done. A frontal neck shot with steel shot, would be unlikely to break the C spine on a bull moose. I don't think that anything is a cakewalk about standing in front of a charging 1,200-1,500 lb. animal who will stomp you pancake flat, or gore you like a shiskabob, when all you have is a shotgun. You may kill it, but can you stop it before you are road kill....
Thats the point this guy was ill advised and didn't have the skill set to do this if he was required to have a shot gun then it should have been a proper bird gun not a HD shot gun. But I believe he choose his own equipment and for some misinformed reason choose that shotgun. If my crappy memory is right .
It is much easier to break a clay pigeon, at any distance, than to bring down Northern duck. They take a solid hit to bring down, with a 28-30 inch barrel. If you can hit anything flying at 40 m.p.h. at 60 yds with an 18 inch barrel, while starving, that is very good shooting. Most guys could not hit that duck, let alone bring it down.
No shit? Thanks for clarifying, I've never been afield for birds. Er, maybe I have... :rolleyes:
BTW, when the game is on the line, why shoot them on the wing like you do for sport? Peg them on the shore, or if necessary on the water's edge.
I don't think that anything is a cakewalk about standing in front of a charging 1,200-1,500 lb. animal who will stomp you pancake flat, or gore you like a shiskabob, when all you have is a shotgun. You may kill it, but can you stop it before you are road kill....
Again, if you were "playing for keeps", without a safety net, and all you had was a 12ga. You better think of a way. The difference between dead, and surviving is the ability to outthink your food. It's not like you can run to the internet and ask what is best for 1200lb moose and then go buy it. Wonder how the big hairy dudes took down mastadons?
Can moose climb trees? Can you? Maybe you'll have to wait it out in a "moose highway", but again no safety net and ONLY a 12ga, what are you going to do? Tell yourself that you might piss off a moose with a 12ga, or set a snare/trap and shoot the damn thing in the face as fast as possible?
It's not ideal, neither is being put out there in the first place. Make do. It can be done.
Here is a link to the full story with more pics.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209078/Channel-4-exploitation-row-cameraman-airlifted-wilderness-dying-starvation.html
It appears he did also take a rifle of some sort with him. Look over his right shoulder in a couple pics and you can see what appears to be a barrel sticking up.
kaiservontexas
08-27-09, 09:39
Epic Fail! Wrong shotgun for the woods. A shotgun is fine if it is in a hunting configuration. I would have packed a .30-06 and a large bore handgun.
I think the gun was fine, the operator had head space and timing issues.
Heavy Metal
08-28-09, 09:14
I think the gun was fine, the operator had head space and timing issues.
I agree.
Plus, he should have brought some Lembas.
It appears he did also take a rifle of some sort with him. Look over his right shoulder in a couple pics and you can see what appears to be a barrel sticking up.
I think it's a shotgun, based on the big picture at the top of this thread ;)
I think it's a shotgun, based on the big picture at the top of this thread ;)
No...not the one in his hands. See the stick-like thing growing out of the top of his head in the top pic in this thread? That's the barrel I think of his rifle. If you follow the link I posted you can see it in at least one other pic, and it sure looks like part of some rifle. :)
Epic Fail! Wrong shotgun for the woods. A shotgun is fine if it is in a hunting configuration. I would have packed a .30-06 and a large bore handgun.
Handguns are banned in UK. :D
Hahahahaha, starving, that's a riot. What a flaming idiot.
No...not the one in his hands. See the stick-like thing growing out of the top of his head in the top pic in this thread? That's the barrel I think of his rifle. If you follow the link I posted you can see it in at least one other pic, and it sure looks like part of some rifle. :)
Gotcha! That's what I get for trying to be a smartass and give someone a hard time :D
RogerinTPA
08-28-09, 21:21
Sounds like "natural selection" was working just fine, before the rescue.;) They should have let him die out there, to prove, that shit ain't easy.:p
Gutshot John
08-29-09, 09:36
The head and face of a moose, even if charging, would be a cakewalk in comparison. Then again, I know WTF I am doing in that regard.
Having been charged and treed by a moose...from straight on, they are annoyingly small and really fast.
I only had a bow so I wasn't going to argue the point, but it I doubt it's as easy to hit a charging bull moose as one might think.
Thomas M-4
08-29-09, 10:02
I have no doubt that being charged by a moose sucks. But if I am starving to death I think I would take the chance.
I saw the PIC and it looks like a rifle and it could be but in the pilot episode I never saw him with a rifle or use one. The impression I got from watching the pilot episode was he was going to eat fish, rabbits and berries:confused:.
The guy never saw a moose or an elk he would walk up on an animal trail and start to freak out saying he was scared of running into one and would turn around and leave the area.
I am not an survival expert I am not a great fisherman nor a great hunter. But I would be stringing up trout lines for my fishing and a would be trying to take any big game that I could not running away from any animal trail that I stumble across.
snares... i'd start setting snares on day one and keep setting them till day done.
Having been charged and treed by a moose...from straight on, they are annoyingly small and really fast.
I only had a bow so I wasn't going to argue the point, but it I doubt it's as easy to hit a charging bull moose as one might think.
Bull moose do not always charge, and like most animals they will run from pain inflicted upon them and loud noises.
Pick your ambush spot between large rocks or in a thicket of heavy trees and brush. Remember, moose have very large antlers that will not navigate thick and heavy tress well. Scout their movement and pick their "super highway" of movement from low ground to high, and be on the high ground -- in a good defensible spot.
Again I am not talking about voluntarily doing this sort of ambush when you are sport hunting, but when your ass is on the line a dead moose can keep you alive for a long time. Sometimes you may need to take a WELL PLANNED chance to get you out alive. Do not stand out in the middle of a field and shoot a bull moose in the face. That would be pure stupidity, and apparently that is what some people envision as a best approach. :rolleyes:
I wonder what guys with pointy sticks thought about killing things like a mammoth? Pretty risky, I'd say -- then again they didn't have a choice. Die or try it...you pick.
Heavy Metal
08-29-09, 11:17
I have no doubt that being charged by a moose sucks. But if I am starving to death I think I would take the chance.
I saw the PIC and it looks like a rifle and it could be but in the pilot episode I never saw him with a rifle or use one. The impression I got from watching the pilot episode was he was going to eat fish, rabbits and berries:confused:.
The guy never saw a moose or an elk he would walk up on an animal trail and start to freak out saying he was scared of running into one and would turn around and leave the area.
I am not an survival expert I am not a great fisherman nor a great hunter. But I would be stringing up trout lines for my fishing and a would be trying to take any big game that I could not running away from any animal trail that I stumble across.
You would have to eat a dozen trout a day to survive. Not enough fat. Trout are supplimental high quality protien.
Thomas M-4
08-29-09, 11:43
You would have to eat a dozen trout a day to survive. Not enough fat. Trout are supplimental high quality protien.
I wouldn't even try to survive on fish but the trout line would be so that I could be fishing with out standing on the bank with a pole I could spend my time hunting for something more substantial or working on my shelter. That is why I think that guy didn't realize what he was getting into he was going to sit on the bank all day with a pole:confused::rolleyes:
Moose, "annoyingly small"?
Don't know where you live or have lived but the bull moose where I grew up regularly exceeded 1,200 lbs, the trees are way to small to climb, and car/moose accidents regularly produce fatalities not in the moose but in the occupants of the car. Nothing like seeing the entire glass upper structure/roof of the cab of a Chevy Luv 4x4 sheared off and a moose carcass in the bed of the truck with the roof.
Being alive after 7 weeks in an environment like that doesn't seem too bad a performance to me.
I bet he will get more training.I think it might be a wake up call that his skills just didn't cut it.I agree though ,why was he not using snares:confused: even in the Boy scouts we learned to set up snares.he should have got his hands on a good survival Book to read while he was getting his Kit together
Barron Fields
08-30-09, 12:06
. And I wouldn't have that HD shotgun ...
That kinda gave away the fact he didn't know what he was doing, but hey! 50 days of it. :D
Would be cool if this show aired showing the failed attempt. A guy trying to sustain himself in that kind of environment, slowly falling further and further behind in the calorie game, could seriously be interesting.
I would also like to know how many miles he was able to cover in the 50 days.
I love the fact that he twittered to get rescued too.
:D
im kind of proud of the fact that i still have absolutely no ****in clue what "twittering" is, but its found me even here on m4c.. gay.
im kind of proud of the fact that i still have absolutely no ****in clue what "twittering" is, but its found me even here on m4c.. gay.
I don't really know either tbh, it's some kind of text messaging/social networking thing that is the current trend the way facebook/myspace was a couple years ago.
I just think that is a funny way to get help, over a social networking site.
"help plz heartrate only 32 bpm muscles shrinking think im starving lol"
:D
ugh... i hate what the world has become. why couldn't i have been born in 1840? i would have fit in so much better
This guy didn't have a clue. Run diff. sized snares and put out a trout line for starters. Don't require constant vigilance. Collect insects; pull of the wings and legs of grasshoppers-good protein/fat. Look for fallen trees with rot and get natures power food-grubs; great protein/fat. Ants-protein/fat. Throw fish guts on the ground and watch the ants come up. Look around, ants can always be found. Consume rabbits in moderation. I'd be stalking large game trails looking for that moose/bear/caribou. Beaver-great food-lots protein/fat. Inner bark of birch is a good source of nutrients. Almost all evergreen needles can be cooked to get Vit. C to prevent scurvy; serious prob. when living of the land(meat will prevent also). Frog gigging anyone? This is only a partial list. Nature provides if one knows where to look and how to get to it.
If going to go off into the wilderness, study the native plants/animals and learn what to eat. With study, the right mindset, good equipment(or even improvised), and practice this guy could have made it. Many others have.
BLACK LION
09-03-09, 13:53
he was probably eating the wrong shit, and not enough of it still. i don't know about other rodents, but rabbit, for one, will not sustain you. if you ate nothing but rabbit for 50 days, you'd starve to death- humans can't metabolize rabit protein. it's missing required amino acids.
think they'll still do the show?
+ 1...
Eating rabbit causes the body to rob you of essential vitamins and minerals to digest it....
I know little about snares, but depending on how long it takes to trap something in one I don't know how useful they would have been for this purpose. From the article it sounded like he was supposed to be moving cross country, maybe even with a destination in mind, and making improvised shelters en route.
PACKINHEAT
09-15-09, 03:00
He may have gotten Tularemia from the rabbits as well.
Not sure what season he was there, but being from Alaska I can tell you there is a lot of food to be had. One must improvise to survive.
Bears are OK, Moose are large and angry. You can always separate the Alaskans from the "tourists" during the salmon runs. Alaskans give the right of way to Moose and Bear, Tourists think the moose are harmless and take pictures.
Poorly trained and setup for failure. Most intelligent outdoorsman could survive 60-90 days if properly equipped IMO.
I bet Bear Grylls would have made it. :p
Thomas M-4
09-15-09, 13:15
I bet Bear Grylls would have made it. :p
I am pretty sure Bear Grylls would have I watched him parachute into Africa and on his second Day if my memories serves me correct he started eating a dead zebra it looked as if it had been laying there for a week covered in maggots and flies AACCKKI would have just starved I think I pucked a little in my mouth just thinking of it
looks like he is carrying way to much of the wrong gear too. Probably sporting 60-100 lbs of gear with no food? Retarded.
variablebinary
10-11-09, 00:13
Walmart makes life seem easier than it really is.
REI, EMS and all those other outdoor stores with their dried food, jerky and protein bars can distort the reality of what real nature survival is.
Though, I would be trying to kill large game wherever possible, not avoiding them.
One elk is better than 1000 rabbits
Also, anyone trying this shit would be wise to learn who Chris McCandless is by reading "Into the Wild". That kid starved to death in 112 days while eating rice, small game and wild potatos
LockenLoad
10-12-09, 16:53
You would have to eat a dozen trout a day to survive. Not enough fat. Trout are supplemental high quality protien.
pretty sure there is plenty of fat in fish, eat the row if any and the brains, pretty sure bears fatten up on salmon for the winter
LockenLoad
10-12-09, 17:04
Walmart makes life seem easier than it really is.
REI, EMS and all those other outdoor stores with their dried food, jerky and protein bars can distort the reality of what real nature survival is.
Though, I would be trying to kill large game wherever possible, not avoiding them.
One elk is better than 1000 rabbits
Also, anyone trying this shit would be wise to learn who Chris McCandless is by reading "Into the Wild". That kid starved to death in 112 days while eating rice, small game and wild potatos
that kid was a wack job and a total idiot, there was a bridge just a few miles away he could have used to cross the river in flood, what I learned is if you are a dumb sh#t that knows nothing about living off the wild you will die
Would be cool if this show aired showing the failed attempt. A guy trying to sustain himself in that kind of environment, slowly falling further and further behind in the calorie game, could seriously be interesting.
I would also like to know how many miles he was able to cover in the 50 days.
I love the fact that he twittered to get rescued too.
:D
Already aired on the history channel.
wouldn't a 22 be a better choice in a survival situation. you could throw 2-3 bricks of ammo in your pack and eat like a king for a year. :cool:
I will admit it, I would watch this falue.
I think a shotgun is fine for killing a moose.
I think I would have gone with a drilling.
A drilling would be perfect.
QuietShootr
07-18-10, 19:51
I agree.
Plus, he should have brought some Lembas.
What the **** is a Lembas?
What the **** is a Lembas?
I am SUCH a dork for knowing what lembas is before wiki'ing it
Appearing in The Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion material, lembas is a special bread made by the Elves, also called waybread in the Common Speech. Shaped into thin cakes, it is very nutritious, stays fresh for months when in its original leaf-wrappings, and is used for sustenance on long journeys. It is tastier than cram or Beorn's honey-cakes. It appears brownish on the outside and cream-coloured on the inside. Lembas is a closely guarded secret, and only on rare occasions is it given to non-Elves. Like other products of the Elves, it is offensive to evil creatures
standsalone
07-18-10, 21:56
The problem with Rabbit Starvation is a lack of fat. Rabbit is too lean.
This goober should have been looking to suppliment his rabbit with as much fat as possible. Mainly nuts. Roots would be a good suppliment for carbs. Cattail roots anyone?
If he wanted a easy fat source, he should have used that shotgun to down an elk or a moose.
+1 on that! you'd figure he'd have at least read some books before he went out....
There are ways of making a shotshell fire as a single projectile that could be used up close for larger game...not really recomended, but I have done it.
Personally I think that a handful of slugs should have been a required necessity in Bear Country, Home Defense Shotgun or not.
And I agree with what Shivan was trying to say about the Moose....Extreme times call for extreme measures. I don't believe he was advocating taking wild risks as much as a calcualted one. Taking one risk for the chance to take down a Moose (Months worth of Meat) would be justified here.
The general concensus here seems to be right...snare/trap line from the beginning as well as passive fishing methods Bank or trout lines, fish traps etc...then start working on a way to prevent scurvy...roots, berries any possible wild fruits etc.
There is a reason our ancestors survived to be known as Hunter/Gatherers....either one will sustain you over a short period of time but you need to be able to do both if you are going to not only survive but live in a inhospitable land.
gaijinsamurai
07-22-10, 20:35
He probably should have read a bit of Jon Krakauer before he embarked on his little trip.
Exactly what I was thinking.
This show made me feel very sorry for those who think that surviving in the wild is easy, or somehow something to be taken for granted. Our history alone tells the tale of settlers starving to death and succumbing to the weather, and they had the skills necessary to live off the land. Ed was arrogant, and that's probably why he spent most of those shows crying. :(
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