A knife, a rope and a flask is all Graham Sansone needs to make it through his three-day survivor challenge in the countryside.

“They taste just like prawns,” the 29-year-old said yesterday, as he held up a woodlouse he found under a rock and chucked it in his mouth.

“And they have more protein per gram than a piece of steak,” he added between one crunch and another.

“When you’re in survival mode it’s easy to get over the fact that it is an insect or a wild plant... All you have to do is remember where you emptied your bowels. You wouldn’t want to eat plants from there.”

On Friday, Mr Sansone left home for Mellieħa to become what he claimed to be the “first documented Maltese survivor”.

A teacher by day and amateur researcher by night, Mr Sansone has been preparing for this challenge for the past year. Although he tested his survival skills in the past months, it is the first time that he is sleeping out ‘in the wild’ for three whole days.

But living off carob, sour olives, dandelions, wild clover and insects is not for everyone. His friend Andrea Cassia, who is documenting the challenge, has come well equipped with canned food, water and his own sleeping bag.

Ironically, Mr Sansone, who admitted he was not bothered by bugs crawling all over him while sleeping, is keen on hygiene. He uses sap from acacia plants as disinfectant and soap. The plant’s leaves, he adds, could also be used to carry a small lantern that he made out of a can he found lying around. Once he is in his “survival mode”, Mr Sansone makes use of any little thing he comes across. Had he not found a freshwater spring to refill his bottle, he would have used the same bottle to distil seawater.

“Despite living off insects, plants and water, I feel very good,” the father of a two-year-old said on the second day of his challenge.

And although his relatives do not encourage his ‘survival adventures’, Mr Sansone would be willing to do it again for charity.

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Graham’s survival tips:

• Always take double the amount of water you plan you would need.

• If you dare to eat a wild plant make sure you know what you’re doing.

• When climbing down a cliff always have an exit plan.

• Put wild plants in your bonfire as the smoke will keep insects away.