"Eaten Alive" star Paul Rosolie got temporarily eaten by an anaconda snake for the upcoming Discovery Channel special, and said in an interview this week that he did it to help the rainforest.
"It started with me watching rainforests get burned, and getting really frustrated that people weren't as excited about it as I was — and just going: I want to do something that's going to grab people's attention," he
told the hosts of NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday.
That's when he decided to build an uncrushable snake suit complete with oxygen supply to go straight down the throat of a 20-foot anaconda.
"Eaten Alive" won't premiere until Sunday, however Rosolie, his team, and Discovery have all come under fire from animal rights groups who are worried that the stunt endangered the life of the snake.
"This blatant publicity stunt sounds far-fetched, but if the description is accurate, the snake was tormented and suffered for the sake of ratings," PETA said in a statement.
The "Today" hosts asked Rosolie about this criticism, and he said he was glad to receive it.
"I'm actually the guy who's down there protecting these animals and protecting the ecosystem, so I know a lot about anacondas and I'd never hurt one," he said, noting that he's been living in the Amazon region for the last five years.
"But what's cool about PETA is that 35,000 people in a week came out to support a snake, and usually snakes are the villains. So I actually thought it was really cool that so many people spoke out in support of a snake," Rosolie said.
He insisted that his team consulted veterinarians before the segment, and had them on-hand to help incase anything went wrong. Moreover, he designed the suit to be completely smooth so the snake's insides wouldn't get scratched or cut in the process of stretching itself around him.
Until the full segment airs, it remains unclear how hard the snake was taxed, but certainly the world will be watching.
"Eaten Alive" premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on the Discovery Channel.
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