The presenter and naturalist Paul Rosolie has spoken about being 'eaten alive' by an anaconda for a TV documentary.
Rosolie, from New Jersey, donned a carbon fibre suit in order not to be crushed by the 25ft creature and survived the ordeal.
He has insisted, however, that the snake was not hurt during the controversial experiment.
The 27-year-old covered himself in pig's blood for the Discovery Channel show, which was filmed in the Peruvian jungle, before imitating the movements of a wild deer or pig, the snake's usual prey.
After being caught by 12 people, including herpetologists on hand to ensure it was not hurt, the 181kg female green anaconda then proceeded to eat Rosolie, who was also equipped with a three-hour supply of oxygen and equipment to monitor his vital signs.
“I wanted to do something that would absolutely shock people,” he told the New York Post.
“Environmentalists, we love to preach to the choir. What I’m trying to do with this is bring in a bunch of people that wouldn’t necessarily know what’s going on in the Amazon.
“'For the type of attention that this is getting and for the type of emergency that’s going on down there - desperate times, desperate measures.
“Once they see the show, these are people who are going to be supporters. It’s a cool little dissonance there - they’re all coming out against me, but I’m the guy that’s been down there in the jungle trying to protect these things.
“I didn’t want to stress [the snake] out too much,” he added.
“I wanted to make sure that the suit was smooth and wasn’t going to hurt the snake.
But he has been fiercely criticised by some animal rights campaigners for the stunt.In a statement released last month, when word of the show emerged, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said: “This blatant publicity stunt sounds far-fetched, but if the description is accurate, the snake was tormented and suffered for the sake of ratings – as animals usually do when they’re used for entertainment.
“Anacondas go days without eating and expend the energy needed to do so selectively. Making this snake use up energy by swallowing this fool and then possibly regurgitating him would have left the poor animal exhausted and deprived of the energy that he or she needs.
“Shame on this pseudo ‘wildlife expert’ for tormenting this animal, and shame on the Discovery Channel for giving him the incentive to do so.”
Rosolie has said that the experiment was designed to raise money and awareness to save the anaconda's natural habitat.In a post on his website, he added: “The snakes that I work with are under threat from hunting and habitat destruction, and need help.
“Anacondas are a major player in the Amazon ecosystem that provides 1/5 of our planet’s oxygen and contains 1/5 of the planets fresh water. For those worried about animal cruelty, I invite you to research my work – read my book. Then ask yourself: would this person ever hurt an animal?”
'Eaten Alive' is set for broadcast in the UK on the Discovery Channel on December 7. [Daily Mail/Metro]
“I wanted to do something that would absolutely shock people,” he told the New York Post.
“Environmentalists, we love to preach to the choir. What I’m trying to do with this is bring in a bunch of people that wouldn’t necessarily know what’s going on in the Amazon.
“'For the type of attention that this is getting and for the type of emergency that’s going on down there - desperate times, desperate measures.
“Once they see the show, these are people who are going to be supporters. It’s a cool little dissonance there - they’re all coming out against me, but I’m the guy that’s been down there in the jungle trying to protect these things.
“I didn’t want to stress [the snake] out too much,” he added.
“I wanted to make sure that the suit was smooth and wasn’t going to hurt the snake.
But he has been fiercely criticised by some animal rights campaigners for the stunt.In a statement released last month, when word of the show emerged, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said: “This blatant publicity stunt sounds far-fetched, but if the description is accurate, the snake was tormented and suffered for the sake of ratings – as animals usually do when they’re used for entertainment.
“Anacondas go days without eating and expend the energy needed to do so selectively. Making this snake use up energy by swallowing this fool and then possibly regurgitating him would have left the poor animal exhausted and deprived of the energy that he or she needs.
“Shame on this pseudo ‘wildlife expert’ for tormenting this animal, and shame on the Discovery Channel for giving him the incentive to do so.”
Rosolie has said that the experiment was designed to raise money and awareness to save the anaconda's natural habitat.In a post on his website, he added: “The snakes that I work with are under threat from hunting and habitat destruction, and need help.
“Anacondas are a major player in the Amazon ecosystem that provides 1/5 of our planet’s oxygen and contains 1/5 of the planets fresh water. For those worried about animal cruelty, I invite you to research my work – read my book. Then ask yourself: would this person ever hurt an animal?”
'Eaten Alive' is set for broadcast in the UK on the Discovery Channel on December 7. [Daily Mail/Metro]
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