Reginald Foggerdy, aged 62, who survived for six days on his own in the Australian outback with no food or water, said the black ants he ate tasted ‘quite good’. Mr. Foggerdy, who suffers from diabetes, is now nicknamed the Ant Man.
He went missing while hunting camel in the remote bushland, about 100 miles from Laverton, a small, isolated town in the state of Western Australia.
He had nothing to eat or drink during the first four days of his ordeal. On day five, he found a nest of black ants and ate twelve of them. On day six he ate another eighteen.
Mr. Foggerdy was found severely dehydrated and exhausted on the sixth day.
In an interview on Channel Seven, Mr. Foggerdy, a grandfather, said:
“They tasted quite good. If they want to call me ant man I don’t care – I’d given up. I was at peace with myself just to lie there and pass away. I’ve heard of people dying after three days without water – I don’t know why I survived.”
Got lost after chasing a camel
After shooting a camel, Mr. Foggerdy followed it on foot. During the pursuit he got lost. He found the dead animal but was unable to cut through its hide because he did not have a knife. Had he had a knife, he could have eaten the animal’s flesh.
Mr. Foggerdy said:
“I didn’t realise chasing this camel I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t want to get lost but that’s how it was.”
Saved thanks to a faint footprint
Robin Smythe, an Aboriginal elder, spotted a faint footprint in the ground (Mr. Foggerdy’s) and alerted the police. Thanks to his wise action, he was found and saved.
Cultures all over the world include ants in their diet.
Mr. Foggerdy does not believe he is tough. “I would say I’m just lucky. When that policeman was shaking me, I opened my eyes to see all these police standing there. I was happy, I was overjoyed.”
On his first night, he heard his brother firing a rifle during his search for him. Later he saw search helicopters and waved at them – but unfortunately, they did not see him.
Mr. Foggerdy, who is still recovering, also described seeing a white vehicle within two meters of him, but thinks it was a hallucination.
Ants are good for you
According to Men’s Health “Ants are high in protein and low in saturated fat.”
A study published in the Journal of Science and Technology found that the black ant is a traditional edible insect species in China.
The authors of the study wrote:
“This study determined the nutritional composition of the black ant, which included minerals, amino acids, superoxide dismutase (SOD), Vitamin E, and total acid.”
Video – Man eats ants to survive in Australian desert