Nature should be preserved, and no one knows that better than conservationists. Nowadays, we see plenty of them on social media, like Maya Higa, sharing the importance of protecting our biodiversity and raising awareness among the youth.

Their passion is commendable and, frankly, inspiring . But conservationism can also be frustrating. Knowing that our world, forests, and animals are being destroyed in favor of data centers and high-tech developments, while knowing the damage this can cause, can be incredibly disheartening. And during a particularly dangerous stunt involving a snake to raise awareness, Paul Rosolie revealed that, surprisingly, it was far from the most painful experience he’s had with an animal.

In 2014, the world watched Paul Rosolie anxiously on television. At 27 years old, the naturalist and conservationist was invited by the Discovery Channel to participate in a special titled “Eaten Alive.” The project involved wearing a special suit and allowing an anaconda to strike, then attempt to kill and swallow him.

While it may seem extreme, that was exactly what drew Rosolie to agree to the stunt. After years of working in the Amazon rainforest, he was frustrated by how mainstream media largely ignored the dangers of rapid deforestation, illegal mining, and habitat loss . He believed that by performing a sensational and extreme stunt, he could shock the world and use the attention as a platform to talk about the rainforest.

For Rosolie, traditional documentaries were no longer enough to capture mainstream audiences and get them to learn about the thousands of acres affected by illegal logging, gold mining, and deforestation. He hoped the attention from the stunt would also create fundraising opportunities to support rainforest conservation, often called the “lungs of the Earth.”

However, the stunt involved a lot of work. For starters, the team spent 60 days searching the Peruvian Amazon before finding a wild, 20-foot-long anaconda. It weighed around 250 pounds and seemed ideal for the stunt. But the biggest challenge came next: creating a proper suit for the stunt.

The suit was engineered by professionals. It was a custom, crush-resistant carbon-fiber suit equipped with a built-in oxygen system, communication mics, and cameras. It was specifically designed to protect Rosolie from the snake’s crushing force, as well as from stomach acid that could potentially dissolve the suit and, well, himself.

But it ended up being a bust. Part of Rosolie’s arm was exposed, and unexpectedly, that’s where the snake struck. As the anaconda attacked and constricted him, it tightened around the exposed part of his arm, nearly breaking his bone. Now in immense pain and fearing severe injury , Rosolie called for his team and called off the stunt entirely.