Man forced to eat bugs, flowers while stranded in WA outback
A Perth man who almost died in the West Australian outback had to eat flowers and bugs in order to survive, it has been revealed.
But some of the other survival techniques he employed during his three lost days in the desert actually made it harder for his rescuers to find him.
Stranded in the Pilbara after his ute got bogged, Anthony Collis was forced to eat live bugs and wild flowers for sustenance.
Inspired by his viewing of Bear Grylls' TV show, he also buried himself in red dirt - which meant that the heat seeking rescue aircraft couldn't locate him.
"He didn't show up, so the indications were the he wasn't in that search area - or that he was dead," Senior Sergeant Bob Scott of WA Police said.
It was supposed to be the road trip of a lifetime for Anthony and his girlfriend Debbie.
Their trip was meant to take them from Perth to Darwin through the outback, but it was a trip police say they weren't properly prepared for and it almost cost Anthony his life.
The trouble began on Thursday afternoon when the couple separated after what police suspect was an argument.
Debbie Blomfield wandered off to a miner's camp at Georgia Bore.
The next day, a land and air search began for Anthony at first light.
That afternoon the bogged ute was found but it took until 8am Sunday morning for the man to be found - less than three kilometres away from where the ute was left.
