OK, so I like Man v wild; I watch Man v wild, but -- he makes a few decisions based on making good shows rather than good survial decisions.

Case in point: He stops at a jungle river with canteen and cup in hand and declares it safe* to drink because its got critters swimmin in it and its free flowing....later that night...He comes down with dysentery and worse.


Teacher

(* never assume any found water is safe to drink -- treat all outdoor sources.)

Just another reason why I can't stand watching the show. The folks here at ETS know what's wrong with his actions, but average Joe might not.

On the other hand, that's a good reminder to keep some Immodium in my kits. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

One thing to keep in mind about his show, he's trying to teach survival, not camping. He doesn't carry a BOB with him or have any gear (that they let you get a good look at anyway). His survival is based on the premis that you don't have any gear to survive with and have to make it entirely off of what you can find or make. In a perfect situation, a person would have the gear they need to filter water, make fire, and set traps to find food. In his "scenarios" he is without gear most of the time.

Granted, declaring water safe because there are living things in it is just plain stupid (parasites are living things!) and running water isn't always safe. The one thing I've found in nature is, there are no rules. Whatever rule there is has an exception and you never know where that exception will show up.

It's best to always take the proper precautions if you're able to, and after watching his show, I've noticed that he doesn't take ANY precautions. My guess is, it won't take him long to do himself in. However, I see the point of making do with what you can find also. Often as not, a tummyache can be fixed, but dead is dead. I'll take questionable water over death by dehydration anyday but I can always stack the odds in my favor by taking some simple precautions.

I saw that episode again this weekend. I think he has a metal canteen cup with his water bottle. Why not take the time to boil up some water? Sure as heck beats getting what he had later in the show.

TV is entertainment, and Man vs Wild is rather entertaining to me. It's interesting to see what he does, and what I might do different in a similar situation.

..........

How about when Bear was in the African Savanna, squeezed the elephant poo, and drank the water that dripped out? ack!

Was kinda hoping he'd find a watering hole.



with a hungry gator inside

Drinking straight out of the stream is more dramatic and gives more of a "wild man" impression.

Notice that he boiled the water and pointed out his likely mistake after he got sick.

He might've been taking the coyote teacher approach, knowing that people would learn more from watching his mistake than a lecture on purifying water.

As a side observation, notice how he takes the metal cup right off the fire in every episode and puts it right to his lips? Don't try this at home kids!

It has been said that a toddler has a better chance of surviving in the wild than most adults because they go off of instincts. The threat of dysentery may, I SAY MAY, come second to hydration. At many points it may be better to hydrate without having to boil in order to keep moving to find shelter. Any water he transports with him he should boil.

As long as there is a source of clear flowing water and the area is not heavily polluted it may be completely acceptable to drink from a stream. People have been doing it since the dawn of time. Filters have only been around for a very short time. Even fire is something that humans have only mastered fairly late in the evolution process and honestly, boiling just isn't always practical.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for playing it safe, boiling, chemically treating or filtering water whenever possible. But sometimes I think people overestimate the dangers. The outdoors is not necessarily such a hostile place. However, it sure pays to avoid stagnant water and any source close to densely populated residential or farming areas.

I've travelled a fair bit and it always amazes me how the locals in developing countries regularly drink water that would be considered totally unsafe by our standards. No filters, no boiling, yet they still manage to get by. I think it's also a matter of getting used to it. If you are exposed to bacteria all the time your body will develop a natural resistance. That's probably the reason why tourists get sick all the time in third-world countries though the locals have no problem with the food and water.