Somebody come!' However, as Mr Rosolie felt his arm 'start to break' under the anaconda's grip, he ordered his team of fellow naturalists, doctors and vets to save him - with just the top of his head in the snake's jaws
Risk: The naturalist shows off dents on his helmet (left) and scratches on his arm (right) after the stunt
However,
as Mr Rosolie felt his arm 'start to break' under the snake's grip, he
ordered his team of fellow naturalists, doctors and vets to save him -
with just the top of his head in the animal's jaws.
Within
minutes of the show, named 'Eaten Alive', being broadcast, people
across America were taking to social networking sites to express their
disappointment at the highly anticipated footage.
Twitter
user Josh Harris, from Boston , wrote: 'They should rename #EatenAlive
alive to look for snakes for 1.5 hours and then Try to be eaten alive
but only get a scratch on my arm.'
And
Stacey Taylor, from Ontario, Canada, said: '#EatenAlive complete waste
of my time you didn't even get eaten alive you cant call a show eaten
alive and not get eaten by your anaconda!'
Barstool
Trent, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, posted a picture of his dog chewing his
finger and quipped 'hey, Discovery, can I have my own show?'
The
footage, which had been plugged on TV and online for months, was aired
despite protests from conservationists on both sides of the Atlantic,
many of whom deemed the stunt 'cruel'.
Rescue: Within minutes of the show,
named 'Eaten Alive', being broadcast, people across America were taking
to social networking sites to express their disappointment at the
highly-anticipated footage
Disappointed with the video: Twitter
user Josh Harris, from Boston , wrote: 'They should rename #EatenAlive
alive to look for snakes for 1.5 hours and then Try to be eaten alive
but only get a scratch on my arm'
Criticism: Meanwhile, Connor McCarthy,
from Pennsylvania, tweeted: 'I hope Paul is happy despite letting an
entire nation down. I can't believe he can show his face on tv right
now. What a wuss #EatenAlive'
'A complete waste of time': And Stacey
Taylor, from Ontario, Canada, said: '#EatenAlive complete waste of my
time you didn't even get eaten alive you cant call a show eaten alive
and not get eaten by your anaconda!'
In
response to the complaints, Mr Rosolie has claimed that he carried out
the risky move in a bid to raise money to save the snake's habitat in
South America - and that the animal was not harmed.
'I
wanted to do something to grab people’s attention to the plight of the
disappearing rainforests, something completely crazy,' he said earlier
this month. ‘Everything else has been tried.’
During
the documentary, aired at 9pm in the US, Mr Rosolie also explained how
he had tracked down that particular snake after surviving being seized
and dragged into deep water by it in 2008.
Since the incident, he had been 'obsessed' with capturing the beast, he said.
Before
the stunt last spring, Mr Rosolie and his team of naturalists spent 60
days struggling up to the headwaters of the world’s largest river,
battling electric eels, floods and poachers.
Getting suited up: The footage, which
had been plugged on TV and online for months, was aired despite protests
from conservationists on both sides of the Atlantic, many of whom
deemed the stunt 'cruel'
Protective gear: In order to avoid
being crushed, Mr Rosolie was forced to wear a lightweight, strong
carbon-fibre suit that fit his frame closely. It was created by a team
of engineers using special 3D technology
Approach: Mr Rosolie is pictured tentatively approaching the anaconda, whom he first encountered in 2008
While
looking for the anaconda, they also started the first scientific study
of anacondas in the wild, taking down the weight, length and sex of ones
they encountered, the New York Post reported.
In
addition to these measurements, they took samples of the creatures'
skin to test for mercury, a by-product of the gold-mining industry which
is encroaching on their habitat.
Finally,
the team came across the green anaconda in the dense foliage of the
Peruvian Amazon - an animal they knew would be big enough to swallow Mr
Rosolie whole.
'An
anaconda can stretch to three times its own girth, so a 20ft snake
would easily encompass my shoulders,' said the naturalist, adding: 'If
this snake's hungry, she might actually eat me'.
In
the documentary, Mr Rosolie, who described the snake's power as akin to
'a team of horses', was filmed suiting up before crawling 'on all
fours', pretending to be a wild boar, toward the snake.
On all fours: In the documentary, Mr
Rosolie, who described the snake's power as akin to 'a team of horses',
was filmed suiting up before crawling 'on all fours', pretending to be a
wild boar, toward the snake
Preparing to attack: The naturalist's helmets camera films the anaconda gliding toward his face and body
Predatory: Within seconds, the snake had risen up and struck him in the face, before grabbing his arm
In
order to avoid being crushed, he was forced to wear a lightweight,
strong carbon-fibre suit that fitted his frame closely. It was created
by a team of engineers using 3D technology.
The
suit was also streamlined so he would be less likely to damage the
snake’s insides, and - crucially for Mr Rosolie - so its material would
resist the anaconda’s digestive fluids.
The
outfit was equipped with built-in cameras and a radio mic so Mr Rosalie
could communicate with his watching team, while the naturalist was
given a capsule transmitting his vital signs.
'They
knew I’m the type who’ll say, "I’m fine, I’m fine"... until I’m dead,'
Mr Rosolie, a New Jersey native who first visited the Amazon at the age
of 18, said.
'We
had to make sure I didn’t get crushed, but the suit took care of that.
But if I was eaten, we were worried what would happen to my breathing
system because I could have suffocated very quickly.'
Getting worried: Mr Rosolie shouted: 'She's got all of her weight on me. I mean, I cannot move right now'
Unable to move: 'I'm getting coils
over me,' the naturalist could be heard saying as his helmet camera
captured the inside of the snake's jaws. 'She's got my arms pinned. She
knows there's nothing I can do'
Stunt: The inside of the snake's jaws as it attacked Mr Rosolie (left) and the naturalist's wife, Gowri (right)
Mr
Rosolie's suit also comprised a face mask connected to a crush-proof
hose that trailed behind him, leading to an three-hour oxygen supply.
After
suiting up, Mr Rosolie was filmed approaching the giant anaconda.
Within seconds, it had risen up and struck him in the face, before
grabbing his arm and coiling itself around his body.
'I'm getting coils over me,' the naturalist could be heard saying as
his helmet camera captured the inside of the snake's jaws. 'She's got my
arms pinned. She knows there's nothing I can do.'
He
then exclaimed: 'Oh god,' prompting his concerned wife to ask: 'Paul,
are you ok?' Several tense seconds later, Mr Rosolie replied: 'I'm ok',
yet his heart rate had noticeably increased.
'Paul,
your heart rate is getting pretty high and your breathing is really
labored,' one of the team members could be heard telling him. He
replied: 'I'm trying to stay calm.'
No comments:
Post a Comment