Live eels glide around in a container as a cook checks them at his restaurant in preparation for Japan's traditional "Eel Day" July 29. Broiled eels, rich in nutrition, are eaten on the day to help cope with the summer heat. (Photo : Reuters)

A 39-year-old man is recovering in China after intensive surgery to remove a live eel that chewed its way through his digestive tract after he inserted the creature into his anus.

The man checked into to a hospital in China's southeastern Guangdong province after reportedly getting the 20-inch eel stuck inside him following his attempts to recreate something he watched in a porno film.

According to The Sun, the man rushed himself to the hospital after the stunt went wrong, allegedly telling medics, "Please, please help me. The eel is moving through my body."



According to the Huffington Post, the eel chewed its way through the man's colon, perforated his large intestine and became stuck in the body cavity. The medical team that treated the man reportedly said the eel, which weighed about one pound, was "simply trying to find its way out."

The medical team said the eel was "still alive when we got it out but it died soon afterwards, which was probably a mercy," according to The Sun.

"This was a particularly idiotic stunt and could have caused him a serious injury. Eels have small but very sharp teeth," they added.



The man had to endure all-night surgery to get the eel out of him and close the wounds. Police reportedly will interview him over alleged animal cruelty.

Oddly, this is not the first time a stunt like this had made the news. In 2012 a New Zealand man had to have an eel removed from his bottom, though how or why it was there was never disclosed.

In 2010 a man in China died from internal bleeding after his friends put an eel in his rectum as a joke after a night of heavy drinking.

Somewhat graphic photos of the most recent anal eel incident can be seen here.