THE world’s renowned and most followed television series, Bear Grylls Survival Academy has launched an African edition in the resort town of Victoria Falls. NOKUTHULA DLAMINI OWN CORRESPONDENT
Dubbed the Bear Grylls Survival Africa, the show that will be shown on Investigation Discovery on Dstv will be offering a rare chance for a few lucky outdoor enthusiasts across the globe to learn extreme survival techniques.
In an interview at the launch of the academy at the Stanley&Livingstone Private Game Reserve — a wild and undulating landscape located in the Victoria Falls area that is home to Africa’s Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) — on Wednesday, global director of the academy Paul Gardiner said: “Zimbabwe is a forgotten country and so there is need to rebuild it. We have to march at the forefront to attract tourists to flood to Zimbabwe and leave bigger footprints.”
He said the Victoria Falls course would culminate in a wilderness expedition designed to put the enrolees’ newly-found skills to the ultimate test.
“Techniques include fire lighting, emergency shelter building, knife skills, foraging for grubs and rodents, remote medical trauma, a range of dynamic activities including rappelling, tyrolean traverses and scrambling, extreme weather survival, river crossings, a white river rafting challenge down the mighty Zambezi River and of course, Bear’s famous gross eat challenge,” he said.
Lead instructor and course developer Scott Heffield, who works closely with Bear, said: “The greater Victoria Falls area provides the perfect backdrop for Bear Grylls Survival Academy course to launch.
“Topography, the rivers, the incredible Victoria Falls, extreme weather conditions and African wildlife are all important factors to consider when looking to recreate an environment that simulates real life Bear Grylls survival situations.”
