Paul Rosolie

Last updated

Paul Rosolie
Education Environmental Studies
Alma mater Ramapo College
Occupations
Years active2005–present
Notable workMother of God
Spouse
Vajra Kingsley Rosolie
​
​
(m. 2026)​
Website paulrosolie.com

Paul Rosolie is an American conservationist, author and founder of Junglekeepers, a nonprofit organization working to protect rainforest in Peru's Madre de Dios region. His 2014 memoir, Mother of God, detailed his early work in the Amazon rainforest in southeastern Peru. He is best known for his conservation work in the Madre de Dios region in Peru. His latest book Junglekeeper (2026) follows his journey building the conservation organization Junglekeepers.

Contents

Career

Rosolie dropped out of high school during his sophomore year and chose to pursue his education at college. [1] His long-standing interest in rainforests led him to an Amazon research station in Peru's Madre de Dios at the age of 18 [2] in 2005. [3] That year, he also traveled to the Atlantic Forest through a study abroad program with Columbia University. [1] In 2007, Rosolie helped create Tamandua Expeditions (with Juan Julio Durand), an ecotourism company that offers trips to the Las Piedras Biodiversity Station on the Las Piedras River. Money raised from that endeavor is used to protect a patch of untouched forest. [2]

Rosolie earned his undergraduate degree in environmental studies from Ramapo College in New Jersey in 2010. While studying at Ramapo College, he frequently flew back to Peru during his break and worked with Tamandua Expeditions. [1] In 2013, Rosolie published a short film on YouTube that showed footage of dozens of species of wild animals in the Madre de Dios forests captured on video by various camera traps. [4] The film, titled An Unseen World, won the short film contest at the 2013 United Nations Forum on Forests. [5] Rosolie also spent time in India researching tiger conservation. [6]

In March 2014, [7] his first book, Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon, was published by HarperCollins. The book detailed his life, experiences, and conservation efforts in the Amazon. [3] In December 2014, he was the host of the Discovery Channel nature documentary special, Eaten Alive. During the program, Rosolie was purportedly going to be swallowed alive by a green anaconda while wearing a custom protective suit. While the anaconda did coil around Rosolie, he was never actually swallowed. [8] The show received criticism from both viewers and animal rights organizations, [9] but Rosolie maintained that he intended to raise money and bring broader public attention to the deforestation, gold mining, and hunting that threaten the anaconda's habitat. He also indicated that he was unaware that the Discovery Channel would cut a majority of the conservation-related content from the show. [10]

In 2015, Rosolie started spending more time on conservation efforts in India. [11] In 2017, he studied the migration habits of tigers and elephants in the forests of Wayanad. [12] As of 2018, he spends four months of the year in south India and splits the remainder of his time in Peru and New York City. [13] In 2019, he released his second book, The Girl and the Tiger. The book is a literary fiction novel and is based on the true story of an Indian girl who contacted Rosolie after finding three abandoned tiger cubs. [14]

In 2015, Rosolie co-founded Junglekeepers with Juan Julio Durand, a member of the Infierno Indigenous community, to protect forest along the Las Piedras River watershed in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. The organization purchases land ahead of logging operations and employs former loggers and gold miners as forest rangers. [15] As of 2026, Junglekeepers has protected approximately 47,000 hectares (117,000 acres), with a stated goal of protecting 121,000 hectares (300,000 acres) and eventually establishing a national park. [15]

In January 2026, Rosolie published his third book, Junglekeeper: What It Takes to Change the World, which appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list. [15] [16] . The watershed is home to nomadic Indigenous groups including the Nomolé, also referred to as the Mashco Piro, who have had limited contact with the outside world. Rosolie has described the ethical challenges of balancing protection of these groups' autonomy with concerns about their welfare, and has engaged an anthropologist to advise on best practices. [15] [17] [18] .


Books

YearTitleOriginal publisherISBN
2014Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon HarperCollins ISBN   9780062259516
2019The Girl and the TigerOwl Hollow Press ISBN   9781945654312
2026Junglekeeper: What It Takes to Change the World Convergent Books ISBN   9780593980392

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2021Dark GreenSelf [19]
2014 Eaten Alive SelfWildlife filmmaker Paul Rosolie uses a custom-built snake-proof suit to enter the belly of an anaconda but essentially got an aggressive hug. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hance, Jeremy (March 10, 2010). "Secrets of the Amazon: giant anacondas and floating forests, an interview with Paul Rosolie". Monga Bay. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Hance, Jeremy (March 17, 2014). "Mother of God: meet the 26 year old Indiana Jones of the Amazon, Paul Rosolie". Monga Bay. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Jennie Erin (March 14, 2014). "Book Review: 'Mother of God' by Paul Rosolie". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Camera Trap in Amazon Gives Stunning Glimpse of Species Diversity". Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. February 20, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ Luntz, Stephen (November 5, 2014). "Man Claims He's Going To Put On A Snake-Proof Suit And Let An Anaconda Swallow Him On Camera". IFL Science. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  6. ↑ Aravind, Indulekha (July 1, 2013). "Eco situation in India is both terrifying and encouraging: Paul Rosolie". Business Standard. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Mother of God – Kirkus Review". Kirkus Reviews. January 19, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Chappell, Bill (December 8, 2014). "(Not) Eaten Alive: A Snake Tale, Made For TV". NPR. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  9. ↑ Hawkes, Rebecca (December 9, 2014). "Eaten Alive anaconda stunt: Paul Rosolie responds to critics". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  10. ↑ Bittel, Jason (January 15, 2015). "Misssssssed Opportunities". National Resources Defense Council. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Rosolie, Paul (March 3, 2016). "World Wildlife Day 2016: Why Wildlife Needs You". HuffPost. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  12. ↑ Sanjiv, Deepthi (February 8, 2017). "When Paul Rosolie was chased by an elephant". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ Menon, Rajitha (October 23, 2018). "Citizen activism strong in India, says Paul Rosolie". Deccan Herald. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ Benu, Parvathi (October 25, 2018). "Discovery's Eaten Alive guy is writing the 21st-century Jungle Book. Here's why it's awesome". Edex Live. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Hance, Jeremy (February 23, 2026). "A journey from student to Amazon 'Junglekeeper': Interview with Paul Rosolie". Mongabay. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Junglekeeper: What It Takes to Change the World" . Retrieved February 23, 2026.}}
  17. ↑ Tom, Llamas (January 23, 2026). "Conservationist captures video of uncontacted tribe in the Amazon". NBC News. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Conservationist captures video of uncontacted tribe in the Amazon". ABC News. February 10, 2026. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Dark Green". October 14, 2021.
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