Conservationist and author Paul Rosolie has had a tough holiday season. He was called out by animal rights groups for a stunt he performed on his Discovery channel TV special, Eaten Alive, which aired earlier this month. We spoke to Rosolie, whose first book Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon (Harper) came out in March, about the controversy, the book, and what he's working on next.
[realted]You were recently taken to task in a petition on Change.org for animal abuse because of the stunt you did with an anaconda snake, in your TV special. Are you worried that this will take away attention from your book?
Indeed, people had come out by the thousands to support the snake and ban the show on Change.org, which I was actually encouraged to see. It was inspiring knowing people were standing up on behalf of a snake. Of course, no snakes were injured or killed during the filming—I wouldn’t have agreed to the project if I knew they were going to be. Ultimately, I think the show and the media build-up around it helped raise awareness of Mother of God. When people read the book, they understand why I would risk my life and career to try and protect this part of the world. The show was my plea for people to wake up and consider what we stand to lose.
What impact do you think your book has had in making people aware of the loss of over half of the world’s wildlife over the past 40 years? Will you be adding any additional content to the paperback edition due out in March 2015?
Most of the people who have read Mother of God have responded enthusiastically. The vast majority of reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, for example, are overwhelmingly positive. One common theme I hear is gratitude for being made aware of how dire the situation is in the Amazon, and also for being made aware of what an enormous and diverse array of wildlife—animals and plants, alike—exists there. I deeply appreciate these responses, because I aimed for my book to educate and entertain simultaneously. There won’t be additional content in the paperback, but the book will be included in several different student curriculums at the high school and college levels.
You dropped out of school at 16 to save money to study in the Madre de Dios region in Peru. What led to your fascination with the Amazon at such an early age?
I’ve always had an innate fascination with wildlife and wilderness. At a very young age I started asking my parents to take me to the forest or the zoo, and I grew up watching Steve Irwin and reading Jane Goodall’s books. So I was acutely aware that forests and wildlife were in trouble, even as a kid. I left school to get out in the Amazon, worried that it would all be gone before I’d ever have a chance to see it.
What are you working on for your next book?
I’m in the early stages of a project on tiger and elephant migration in South India. Because forests in that region are so fragmented, these animals exist in an ‘island’ situation and must cross an ocean of humanity to travel their traditional migration routes. It’s a tense standoff between tigers, elephants, and humans that requires adaptation from all three. But for tigers and elephants, the stakes are high—both are at risk of extinction. I plan to be on the ground following wildlife and working with people, writing as I go.
