What Was an 'Asparagus-Sized' Eel Doing Inside a New Zealand Man's Butt? Neetzan Zimmerman · 09/24/12 01:30PM Doctors at Auckland City Hospital wouldn't go into how an eel the size of "a decent sprig of asparagus" became lodged up the backside of an unnamed patient, but said it was successfully extracted, and the man was discharged.