AceShowbiz -

After building the anticipation for an extreme stunt in "Eaten Alive", Discovery Channel upset viewers when Paul Rosolie wasn't even swallowed by the anaconda in the Sunday, December 7 special. The network has now responded to the complaints.

Discovery says in a statement, "Paul created this challenge to get maximum attention for one of the most beautiful and threatened parts of the world, the Amazon Rainforest and its wildlife. He went to great lengths to send this message and it was his absolute intention to be eaten alive."

The network explains why the stunt was called off before Rosolie enters the belly of the giant snake. "Ultimately, after the snake constricted Paul for over an hour and went for his head, the experiment had to be called when it became clear that Paul would be very seriously injured if he continued on. The safety of Paul, as well as the anaconda, was always our number-one priority," it says.

Rosolie had said the snake's alive and released back into the environment after being examined by a veterinarian. PETA, however, is still not happy with the wild experiment. The animal rights organization blasts the show in a new statement released after the special aired, "The animals were removed from their water habitat and transported to a filming location, and the chosen snake was deceived into using her precious energy reserves to constrict a human being pretending to be a pig, all for a publicity stunt."

It continues, "Paul Rosolie and his crew put this snake through undeniable stress and robbed her of essential bodily resources. She was forced to constrict and then not allowed to eat. Study after study has shown that entertainment features such as this one that show humans interfering with and handling wild animals are detrimental to species conservation. Rosolie knows this. Discovery knows this. Yet they chose to contrive and air this shameful stunt for ratings anyway."