A naturalist who was filmed being eaten alive by an anaconda finally explained why he did the stunt in response to criticism made by animal rights activists, according to the U.K’s The Independent.

“Environmentalists, we love to preach to the choir,” stated Paul Rosolie to explain why he did the stunt with the anaconda.

He continued, “What I’m trying to do with this is bring in a bunch of people that wouldn’t necessarily know what’s going on in the Amazon. Desperate times, desperate measures.”

As he explained his choice to be eaten alive by an anaconda, Rosolie stated that he finds the fight against his decision to be rather confusing.

“They’re all coming out against me but I’m the guy that’s been down there in the jungle trying to protect these things,” stated Rosolie.

After the trailer for “Eaten Alive” was aired, showing Paul Rosolie preparing himself to be eaten by the anaconda, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reportedly released a statement calling the act a “blatant publicity stunt.”

“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,” the statement read.

It continued, “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.”

Paul Rosolie reportedly wore a carbon fibre suit and poured pigs’ blood on himself for “Eaten Alive” in order to protect the snake.

“I didn’t want to stress [the anaconda] out too much,” he told the New York Post.

He added, “I wanted to make sure that the suit was smooth and wasn’t going to hurt the snake.”

Rosalie has reportedly been receiving thousands of “abusive” emails and death threats, according to the Courier Post Online.

“I thought it was great how many people came out in support of a snake,” stated Rosolie.