There is news of a sting in the tale of the survivalist Edward Michael ‘Bear’ Grylls, familiar to most Indians after the recent airing of a special episode of his wildlife series, Man vs. Wild, featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Grylls has shown us how to survive the toughest and most visited environments as a stranded tourist. He uses his specialist techniques to find his way out of the wilderness, some of which involve foraging for food -- maggots, rabbits, mushrooms, berries, if you will -- and most of all, staying alive. But this ‘toughie’ cannot say boo to a bee, going by an online report.
The buzz online is that Bear was stung by one while shooting for a new show, ‘Treasure Island’. He is allergic to bee stings, unlike the ursine species after whom he is fondly named. Luckily for him, there were doctors at hand, who helped him survive what could have been a life-threatening situation.
Interestingly, when a bear dives into a hive, honey is a side dish, going by expert opinion. What bears crave and brave stings for is the fat and protein obtained by munching on the pupae, larvae and eggs in the breeding chambers of the hive, we are told.
