paul-rosolie.jpg (Photo : www.deadline.com)
American naturalist Paul Rosolie offered himself as dinner to an anaconda--and filmed every second of it--in a bid to shed light on the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
The daredevil stunt, which could have ended the environmentalist's life, was aired in the United States on the Discovery Channel Sunday evening.
According to Rosolie, the idea of feeding himself to the world's largest snake, which typically suffocates its prey before ingesting it, came from working in the rainforest habitat.
"Everybody on Earth knows that the rainforests are disappearing and most people can tell you how important they are, but still, not enough people are paying attention, not enough people realize this is such a problem," the American naturalist told AFP, adding that he is honored to be given the chance to do something about it despite the life-threatening risks.
In preparation for the adventure inside the ferocious snake, experts had created a special suit made with carbon fiber equipped with a breathing apparatus, cameras and a communication system for Rosolie.
Afterward, the team looked for an anaconda in the Peruvian Amazon forest which took them 60 days-worth of camping and hiking through the jungle at night.
After finding the perfect predator--a six-meter-long female snake--the stunt began. The anaconda needed a little bit of encouragement when it did not devour Rosolie during their first encounter.
Provoked after Rosolie acted like the predator, the snake defended itself by attacking its assailant and then swallowed the staunch environmentalist headfirst.
Though he did not give details as to how he escaped, he expressed the thrill he felt, mixed with fear that something might go wrong during the stunt.
"You are going up against one of the greatest predators of the planet and doing something that no one has ever done before," he said.
The show, entitled "Eaten Alive," is expected to get at least three million viewers in the U.S. and another million from other countries.
It would also be aired in Finland, Denmark, Hungary, Poland and Sweden on Dec. 10 and in Australia on Dec. 12.
