To raise awareness about rainforest destruction, explorer Paul Rosolie made a drastic decision: he would let himself be eaten by a giant anaconda.

“I wanted to do something that was going to grab people’s attention,” he told Today. After years of watching the Amazon Rainforest suffer, Rosolie hoped this extreme act would spark public interest.

He wore a specially designed suit with reinforced protection, an oxygen supply, and tiny cameras. The plan? Survive the snake’s constriction and partial swallowing, then be rescued before digestion began.

The event was filmed for Discovery Channel’s Eaten Alive, and Rosolie journeyed deep into the Amazon to find the snake.