There’s currently a video doing the rounds across the web that’s sure to go down as one of the most epic live TV pranks.
In case you’ve missed it, a Scottish journalist covering the Kangaroo Island bushfires was the butt of a hilarious “drop bear” prank.
UK’s ITV News Asia correspondent Debi Edward was reporting on the fires when she was told she was going to get to hold the koala’s cousin, the vicious drop bear, on camera.
Freelance video producer Sean Mulcahy, Army reservist veterinarian Garnett Hall and Kangaroo Island wildlife park owner Sam Mitchell helped pull off the epic prank, which has since gone viral on social media across the globe.
In a true Aussie stitch-up, Edward was told drop bears are vicious, have fangs and are poisonous.
To protect herself from the drop bear, Edward was decked out in full body armour, goggles, boots and gloves (with a man on standby with a dart gun in case anything “went wrong”).
Edward fearfully said to the camera: “I’ve been told that this is quite a dangerous bear, it’s been known to attack people.
“It’s called a drop bear because they drop out of the trees to attack people.”
“I’m trying not to be worried because I’ve been told that he can sense if I’m worried,” she added.
Head to 1m 30s for a laugh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkQfoNrB9JU
Mulcahy told ABC News that the prank was a way of taking a break from the heartache.
“For us, it was a case of, it’s just been a miserable couple of weeks, and then we got this laugh — I’m glad I shared it because so many people have got joy out of it,” he said.
