Bear Grylls has said he would eat his own dogs to survive, admitting that if his child were dying, the family's two Shih Tzus would likely be the first to go.
In an interview with The Times, the 52-year-old survival expert and television host was asked whether he would eat a dog to survive, to which he replied: “Yeah, for sure. Of course.”
He was then asked if he would consider eating his own dogs, Sybil and Martha, if required. While he acknowledged it was not the most desirable outcome, he said: “Well, I’m not going to leap and say no. If my child were dying and it was [the dogs] or my child — whisper it in low, low volume — it would probably be the dogs who are the first to go. But let’s hope we don’t ever get to that stage.”
Career of wilderness survival
Grylls has built his career on adventuring and showing the public how to survive in the wilderness. He has headed into the wild with former President Barack Obama, actor Matthew McConaughey, Florence Pugh and tennis legend Roger Federer.
He also touched on his diet in the interview, listing some of the more unusual things he has eaten: “I’ve eaten a lot worse, to be honest: rats, camel intestinal fluids, the anus of a skunk, goat’s testicles, yak eyeballs, scorpions, snakes, tarantulas.”
Diet changes over the years
This is not the first time Grylls has discussed his diet. Earlier this year, the former SAS reservist spoke about how he felt better after moving away from a vegan diet in 2020.
He told The Telegraph that he had seen benefits, at least for himself and his son, from moving away from a plant-based way of eating. He said: “My son Jesse wasn’t doing well on a vegan diet – issues with his stomach, really bad skin, he was just really drained – and within weeks…he was a ball of energy again.”
He added: “I had kidney pain for years and as soon as I stopped drinking raw juices every day, that was gone. Going back to meat has really made a difference to how I feel and how my family feels. I’m eating great big steaks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All the fat, all the gristle. I eat liver, which is a natural, mega-dense source of nutrients, lots of eggs – and I feel great.”
