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Bear Grylls inspired Australian 'ant man' to survive

By Tomas Monzon
Retired miner and grandfather Reginald Foggerdy was found in the Western Australia Desert after six days without water and eating black ants for survival. Photo courtesy of Western Australia Police/Twitter
1 of 3 | Retired miner and grandfather Reginald Foggerdy was found in the Western Australia Desert after six days without water and eating black ants for survival. Photo courtesy of Western Australia Police/Twitter

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SYDNEY, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Reg Foggerdy, an Australian man who was found in the West Australian desert on the brink of death, said he was "lucky" to have survived.

He told 7News he drew tips from survival expert Bear Grylls in order to last six days in the hot Australian outback by eating ants.

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Police found the man under a tree on Oct. 13, about 9 miles from where he went missing as he hunted a feral camel in the desert along with his brother, Ray.

Foggerdy and his brother were driving back to base after an unsuccessful day of hunting when Foggerdy removed his survival gear (including GPS and boots) and chased after a camel who suddenly appeared. He shot the camel and later found it, but did not have any tools with which to butcher it or with which to find his way back.

Foggerdy, a retired miner, is also a diabetic who had recently had a heart attack prior to becoming stranded in the desert. He survived for six days with no water.

Foggerdy said he contemplated death at one point while in the desert, fearing no one would ever find him as four days passed by. Still, he poked a stick into a nest full of ants and ate 12 ants on the fifth day and 18 on the sixth, saying they "tasted quite good."

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Police were eventually tipped off to Foggerdy's footprints by a local Aboriginal man on his own exploration. Search helicopters were unable to see Foggerdy from the sky.

Foggerdy told 7News he might go back to the desert to look for his gun.

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