When thrown into a survival situation one of the first questions that either passes through the minds of the survivors or is verbally expressed is: “What are we going to eat?”

This is a valid question but it is not always the most critical need to be addressed –  the possibility of rescue, water availability, adequate shelter from inclement weather, treating injuries or illness and so on are often far more critical issues which will have to be given priority  - especially in the short to medium term remembering that we can go without any food for quite a long time.

To stay healthy and to remain active we do however need a regular intake of food.
Careful preparation is the first logical step for any field trip or travel to isolated places. Take adequate provisions for each individual in the party to last at least 3-4 days.

Assuming however that you have made the mistake by not taking
any emergency food with you or that your rations have been
depleted then you have to ask and answer the question: “What could
we eat?”

The first principle which must be accepted and implemented, if it comes to life or death decisions, is to put         pre-conceived mindsets quickly to rest. If you have ever said “I will never it worms!” – now is the time to change your attitude.

There are times when nature supplies food in abundance and there are times when food is very scarce and scarcer if you choose to be fussy!  Ask people what they would eat if they were lost in the bush and the most common answer will be: “I will eat nuts and fruit and berries and fish and hunt”. This is the voice of the inexperienced and naive speaking. Easy to say but easier said than done.

Figure 1: Wild fruits – good food but seasonal and sometimes poisonous.

FRUITS AND NUTS
It must be remembered that wild fruits and nuts are:

• Seasonal and only available for short periods throughout the year.
• There is strong competition for these food resources – birds, vervets, baboons, and many other animals will be competing with you for this natural food supply.
• Not all wild fruits, tubers, bulbs are edible – some are highly poisonous you must have the knowledge of what you can eat, when it is available, and where to find it (see Figure 1).

Fruits and nuts are obviously a very valuable source of food but
bear   in mind the realities of seasonal availability, competition and  edibility.

Figure 2: Birds eggs – good food.

Figure 3: Fish die offs can supply an abundance of food.

Figure 4: Chasing predators off a kill can provide the survivor with meat and survival materials.

Figure 5: Mushrooms and other fungi can be an excellent food but beware some are deadly poisonous.

FISH, BIRDS AND GAME
These are all an excellent source of proteins and necessary minerals as well as survival materials – skins to make footwear, clothing, shelter,  – bones to make utensils and weapons – sinews for strong cord, brains for tanning skins, feathers to fletch arrows and so on.

To actually be able to catch, shoot or trap these food sources is also an art and science – especially if you are not equipped with conventional weapons and equipment and have to make your own. These aspects will be dealt with in other departments of  this publication

These food sources can also be harvested in various ways:

• Look in birds nests for eggs and fledglings. And keep your yes open for snakes (yes you can eat them too!) – see Figure 2.
• Keep an eye open for the eggs and young of ground nesting birds.
• When pans start drying up one often finds hundreds of barbel (catfish) slithering around in the mud – an excellent   supply of food.
• Fish die offs can supply an abundance of food – but make sure the fish is fresh and is thoroughly boiled. Die offs can
  be caused by a high silt content (which clogs their gills), low oxygen content in the water or by poisoning (see Figure 3).
• Dead animals – preferably fresh -  that have been killed by predators or raptors, can be an excellent supply of food and survival materials – where natures hunters have done the work for you. Cook (boil) the meat thoroughly after washing it. If the predators are still eating chase them off the carcass – easy to do if it is a cheetah, jackal, hyaena, serval, leopard – or allow them to eat for awhile if it is an animal like a lion (see Figure 4). 

MUSHROOMS (FUNGI)
There are highly nutritious and tasty mushrooms but here the survivor is to exercise extreme caution if he / she is not familiar with and knowledgeable about mushrooms. Some species such as the death cap is appropriately named and is highly toxic – see Figure 5.

REPTILES, FROGS, AND INVERTEBRATES.
This is where people become really squeamish yet these natural foods are in far more ready supply and through most times of the year. Remember that in eastern cultures foods that people might find repulsive in western cultures are considered a delicacy. When your survival hangs in the balance snakes, rats, frogs, mopane worms, termites, spiders, cockroaches and other “unthinkables” will soon be in a completely different perspective.

The availability of food is not only important for our bodies to function at optimum levels but is also critical for morale. Morale drops precipitously when there is no food to eat.

There is little that can not be eaten in a survival situation and often what we could never have even considered eating turns out to be quite palatable.

Mopane worms, fresh termites, “mabungu larvae” hmmmm…
You might surprise yourself. In this article we have given a broad overview of what we can eat. In future articles we will start going into detail – and put some things to the test.

Figure 6: Eating snakes – an eastern delicacy!	Figure 7: Suricates eat grasshoppers, reptiles and scorpions – so can you