Although they have not seen the special, the animal rights group said 'the snake was tormented and suffered for the sake of ratings'.
- Nov 7, 2014
AceShowbiz - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is not happy with Discovery Channel's drastic plan to air a man being eaten alive by anaconda. The group launched a protest and demanded the network to cancel the special although the massive snake survived the filming.
"This blatant publicity stunt sounds far-fetched, but 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 statement. "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."
PETA is yet to see the special, which is titled "Eaten Alive" and is planned to air on December 7 as part of Discovery's "Mega Week". In it, naturalist Paul Rosolie covered himself in pig blood to lure the snake while wearing a custom-built snake-proof suit. The promos, however, did not show anyone actually being swallowed by the snake.
"Shame on this pseudo 'wildlife expert' for tormenting this animal, and shame on the Discovery Channel for giving him the incentive to do so," the group continued. "PETA has not heard back after reaching out to the Discovery Channel asking them to pull the show, whether it is a hoax or not."
Discovery spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg refused to comment on PETA's protest. Rosolie previously responded to other animal welfare organizations which deemed the stunt "animal cruelty." He tweeted, "If u know me - I would never hurt a living thing. But you'll have to watch #EatenAlive to find out how it goes down!"
