Still Wild, But Not So Alone

We’ve just learned that Ed Wardle, who we’ve been closely following on the National Geographic Channel’s Alone in the Wild survival show, was recently airlifted out of Canada’s Yukon wilderness. The Scottish filmmaker, who survived 50 days of solitude and rugged living, realized that he was slowly starving to death. “My heart rate had dropped to just 30 beats a minute,” he told London’s Daily Star today, “and I realized I had to leave or else I would be in serious trouble.” He was down to eating a meal of roots every other day, supplemented by the occasional wild game, when he finally dialed his producer on an emergency satellite phone and requested the evac. Wardle’s home safe now in north London. —Peter Koch 

Editor’s Note: We’re relieved Ed asked for help before the situation became tragic–and we’re sure there are survival lessons to be learned from this experiment. Check back for more on this story.