A man eaten alive by an anaconda has lashed out at animal rights activists who say the stunt was exploitative and "tormented" the snake.
Paul Rosolie headed into the Amazon with a team of environmentalists and a film crew where they located an anaconda within the river, trapped and carried it onto land before inducing it to swallow the 27-year-old.
The trailer for the stunt, which airs on the Discovery Channel this sunday, has drawn criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Controversial: Paul Rosalie holds the anaconda. Photo: Screen grab, The Discovery Channel, YouTube
"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," PETA said in a written statement.
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In preparation for the stunt, Mr Rosolie donned a full body carbon fibre suit complete with a three-hour supply of oxygen to protect him from the powerful acid that allows anacondas to digest their food. He also covered himself with pigs' blood and crawled about like an animal to encourage it to eat him.
Neither Mr Rosolie nor the Discovery Channel has revealed how the documentary ends, but they insist the anaconda escaped unscathed.
Paul Rosalie donned a special suit before the anaconda swallowed him. Photo: Screen grab, The Discovery Channel, YouTube
He told the New York Post they wanted to do something shocking enough to reach new audiences.
"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. Desperate times, desperate measures," Mr Rosolie said, adding he ensured the suit was smooth so as not to hurt the snake.
"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."
Photo: Screen grab, The Discovery Channel, YouTube
The average anaconda stretches more than six metres long and weighs about 150 kilograms. They eat a wide variety of animals including birds, small crocodiles and deers.
The rare species is one of many threatened by extensive land clearing in the Amazon, which is causing significant changes in the shrinking habitat.
The animal rights activist group, best known for naked celebrity advocates and controversial ads such as humans wrapped as cuts of meat bloodied in plastic, has branded the ad a "blatant publicity stunt".
"Shame on this pseudo 'wildlife expert' for tormenting this animal and shame on the Discovery Channel for giving him the incentive to do so," PETA said.
"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."
Mr Rosolie, a wildlife filmmaker and environmentalist, said his body of work serves as testament to his environmentalist credentials and has urged critics to read his book.
Paul Rosolie headed into the Amazon with a team of environmentalists and a film crew where they located an anaconda within the river, trapped and carried it onto land before inducing it to swallow the 27-year-old.
The trailer for the stunt, which airs on the Discovery Channel this sunday, has drawn criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Controversial: Paul Rosalie holds the anaconda. Photo: Screen grab, The Discovery Channel, YouTubeAdvertisement
In preparation for the stunt, Mr Rosolie donned a full body carbon fibre suit complete with a three-hour supply of oxygen to protect him from the powerful acid that allows anacondas to digest their food. He also covered himself with pigs' blood and crawled about like an animal to encourage it to eat him.
Neither Mr Rosolie nor the Discovery Channel has revealed how the documentary ends, but they insist the anaconda escaped unscathed.
Paul Rosalie donned a special suit before the anaconda swallowed him. Photo: Screen grab, The Discovery Channel, YouTube"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. Desperate times, desperate measures," Mr Rosolie said, adding he ensured the suit was smooth so as not to hurt the snake.
"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."
Photo: Screen grab, The Discovery Channel, YouTubeThe average anaconda stretches more than six metres long and weighs about 150 kilograms. They eat a wide variety of animals including birds, small crocodiles and deers.
The rare species is one of many threatened by extensive land clearing in the Amazon, which is causing significant changes in the shrinking habitat.
The animal rights activist group, best known for naked celebrity advocates and controversial ads such as humans wrapped as cuts of meat bloodied in plastic, has branded the ad a "blatant publicity stunt".
"Shame on this pseudo 'wildlife expert' for tormenting this animal and shame on the Discovery Channel for giving him the incentive to do so," PETA said.
"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."
Mr Rosolie, a wildlife filmmaker and environmentalist, said his body of work serves as testament to his environmentalist credentials and has urged critics to read his book.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rrM3zl4J_g
Source: smh.com
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