Charged by a rhino, dragged by a 225kg alligator and bitten by a bull shark. Will these victims find the strength to overcome their fears and face these wild animals again? Few people ever experience anything more physically devastating, blindsiding and bizarre than those who have been attacked by a wild animal. Just two days after the network launch, Discovery World HD takes viewers on an emotional – and harrowing – journey around the world with wild animal attack survivors when SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI premieres Wednesday, August 4 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Join host Dave Salmoni – zoologist, big predator expert and attack survivor – as he uses expertise and forensic investigation to understand why people are attacked, how they can survive and how to avoid a similar fate.
An attack victim himself, Salmoni is uniquely suited to help victims recover from emotional trauma, providing an understanding of how wild animals become provoked and exploring ways to prevent similar attacks from occurring in the future. In each episode Salmoni meets with two attack victims and walks them through their ordeal in an effort to help them learn to appreciate these untamed animals. Returning to the site of the attack, the victims recreate their terrifying experience and Salmoni introduces them to a tame animal of the same species to help them replace negative memories of their attack with positive images of animals in the wild.
Attacks on people by wild animals might be rare but when they happen they’re both physically and emotionally traumatizing. SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI helps viewers understand the animal’s point of view by exploring the world of wild animals, their instincts and behaviour, and the pressures on their species to survive in an ever-shrinking habitat. Salmoni shows the victims – and the viewer – that the animals are likely not stalking humans as prey but rather patrolling their territory, protecting their young or even suffering from starvation. Finally, he looks at how we can share our wild spaces with these animals while preventing similar near-death experiences.
Episode highlights for SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI include:
SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI – “Treacherous Waters”
Wed., August 4 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
A young man is left terrified of ever going back on the water after an aggressive hippo turns a family canoe trip in Zimbabwe upside down. Later, a son’s near-deadly encounter with a bull shark turns a sunny Bahamian spear fishing trip into a father’s darkest nightmare.
SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI – “Fight for Survival”
Wed., August 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
While on a hiking trip through a remote area of Zimbabwe’s Chizarira National Park, angry elephants attack two young friends leaving one bleeding out while the other struggles to find safety. Later, 12-year-old Devin is swimming in a Louisiana pond and suddenly finds himself in a life-and-death struggle with a 225kg alligator who tears through his left arm.
SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI – “Unexpected Danger”
Wed., August 18 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Deep in the British Columbia forest, one man’s seemingly normal workday turns deadly as he races to escape from an enraged grizzly. Later, a long awaited South African safari takes a dangerous turn as two brothers are left to deal with the aftermath of a rhino’s charge.
