Los Angeles: Discovery Channel's "Eaten Alive" special that pitted snake against man drew more than 4 million viewers, but not all considered it time well spent.
Although the title and a promotional video indicated that naturalist Paul Rosolie would be swallowed by a giant anaconda, Sunday's pre-taped special didn't go that far.
Rosolie, described by Discovery as a conservationist, ended his Amazon jungle encounter with the snake after it encircled his body and began squeezing. Wearing bulky protective gear, Rosolie escaped with a sore arm but uneaten.
Online, some viewers jeered the show for falling short of its promise. The animal rights group PETA said it included "the inexcusable torment" of a wild anaconda and other snakes.
Discovery has said the snake was unharmed, and the channel declined to comment on PETA's criticism.
Watch: Paul Rosolie being swallowed alive by anaconda
