Man recalls how it felt when he tried to let world's biggest snake eat him alive on TV
Paul Rosolie recalled the horrific sensations he felt after being caught by an anaconda
"How do you think it would feel to be eaten by a snake?"
It sounds like one of those questions that might come up when you've had too little sleep and too much time to think, but Paul Rosolie, from Brooklyn, New York, actually has some experience in that area.
Who is Paul Rosolie?
Despite being born in the concrete jungle, Rosolie was always more of an outdoorsy type and has spent almost 20 years working with Indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest in an effort to help protect 'the last truly wild places on the planet'.
Speaking to LADbible, Rosolie explained that he spends 'most of the year' sleeping outdoors and living in deep parts of the Amazon rainforest.
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"The truth is, we grew up as a species in nature and so when you return to nature, you tend to feel better," he said.
How did Rosolie get eaten by a snake?
This is the question on everyone's lips, and it stems from a 2014 viral video from an episode of the Discovery Channel series Eaten Alive. You might expect Rosolie's experience to have been some sort of horrific accident, but instead, he willingly chose his fate.
As part of the show, Rosolie agreed to be eaten alive by a 14-foot anaconda; a snake which is known to be able to overpower animals much larger than humans.
Green anacondas are the heaviest snakes in the world, with the largest ever recorded weighing 500 pounds, according to the Natural History Museum.
When asked if he felt in danger or near death while filming, Rosolie answered: "On TV, no, because it was with the Discovery Channel."
However, it didn't take long before Rosolie learned how close he was to danger.
The creators had an ambulance on stand-by and ensured he had a 'very well made' suit to protect him during the stunt, and the wildlife expert then set about trying to find the right snake for the job.
However, during the search, he encountered a particularly aggressive 14-foot anaconda and found himself in a terrifying situation.
What does being eaten feel like?
"I did get wrapped with no suit, no protection," he revealed.
Rosolie continued: "When you catch an anaconda you have to secure the head, so I had secured the head, and this thing's head is big, it's a huge reptile head with 200 teeth in it. They lock your wrists together first and then the next coil comes over your shoulder. So I actually almost had my shoulders touch.
"And I came inches away, moments away from having my ribcage explode. And JJ, my friend, saved my life."
"They can take anything," he added. "Every time you exhale, you never get that space back, you never take that breath in again. So you exhale and the snake squeezes, and then when you try to breathe in, there's nothing. And so I couldn't even call for help. It was terrifying."
Why did Rosolie get eaten?
Getting eaten by a snake probably isn't on most people's lists of New Year's resolutions, but Rosolie explained he tried to 'be eaten by an anaconda' as part of a bid to raise awareness for the Amazon rainforest and everything living there.
"Animals exist on Earth for their own reasons and we're not the only species here. That's a very important reality to understand," he said.
"Indigenous people are fighting with their lives to protect the Amazon rainforest, because they understand what everyone else is forgotten that without ecosystems, if you can't breathe the air and drink the water, nothing else you're interested in is going to happen."
"That's why I'm down here. That's why I would do something as suicidal as even claimed to try and be eaten by an anaconda," Rosolie concluded.
You can help and learn more about Rosolie's mission by visiting www.junglekeepers.org.
Topics: Nature, Science, Environment, Animals
Emily Brown