Coming to Animal Planet in December:
New Series:
Planet Wild
Premiere date: Wednesday 5 December at 19h00
Planet Wild delves into the lives of some of the planet's most enigmatic creatures to reveal intricate portraits as they struggle to survive from day to day, find mates, utilise their diverse habitats and interact with their neighbours.
Each episode is a postcard from around the globe that immerses us in the animal world and teaches essential and often surprising facts about the varied habitats.
From the marmot clans on the plains of Kazakhstan to the territorial humming birds of South America - from the millions of flamingoes in the soda lakes of Africa to koalas trying to ensure the next generation survives.
Natural World Cheetahs - Fast Track To Freedom
Premiere date: Tuesday 11 December at 21h00
The cheetah: the fastest animal on Earth. Every fibre of its body is designed to win the race for survival, yet for some cheetahs surviving is still a tough task. Cheetahs: Fast Track to Freedom is the tale of two orphaned cheetah cubs, Sambu and Toki, and the task of transforming them from tame, loveable kittens into bold, powerful hunters of the wild.
It's a daunting task: growing up in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, they are surrounded by some of Africa’s most impressive and dangerous animals, from temperamental black rhinos to suspicious lions. Can the two cubs complete their natural race to independence and, ultimately, freedom?
Ocean VoyagersPremiere date: 16 December at 19h00
An ancient species and one of the largest animals ever to live on the planet Earth, humpback whales have been travelling throughout the world’s oceans for millions of years, singing their mesmerising songs during their long journeys. Like the ocean themselves, what we know of humpbacks' lives is surprisingly little.
Ocean Voyagers provides an intimate portrait of the humpback's life, through the story of a relationship between a mother whale, Mara, and her baby, Kell. Ocean Voyagers is a remarkable and quite touching documentary, about one of our planet's oldest and most fascinating creatures.
Documentaries & Specials:
Dogtown: A Prairie Story
On: Sunday, 9 December at 19h00
This high definition film is a journey into America’s heart - the great rolling prairie that once stretched like a green ocean from the Midwest to the eastern Rocky Mountains. This journey explores the past and shows the spectacular beauty and wonderful wildlife that once comprised America’s largest ecosystem... imagine herds of buffalo so large it would take them four days to pass through an area, and flocks of snow geese so big they darkened the sky. Shot by the legendary camerman Jim Brandenburg, this will be the definitive film of this area.
Christmas Week
On: Monday 24 December from 12h25
As part of Christmas Week, Animal Planet has put together a collection of favourite shows. Relive Steve Irwin’s encounters with his crazy crocodiles, tiger sharks and other hungry creatures in the classic show ‘Croc Hunter’. Also follow the dramas of the Emergency Animal Medical Technicians as they trek around Arizona with the Animal Cops: Phoenix, saving animals' lives. Get in the seasonal Penguin Safari as Nigel Marven gets up close and personal with penguins on a sub-Antarctic island, learning all about their individual personalities? These and many other shows make up special viewing over the Festive Season.
The Wild Yak Patrol
On: 30 December at 22h00
The plight of the Tibetan antelope gets revealed in this one-hour documentary filmed in the vast wastelands of western China, in the world’s most hostile terrain.
Wild Yak Patrol exposes, for the first time, the location to which pregnant females migrate to give birth. It also highlights the extent of the illegal slaughter of this animal for its fine wool, for which a lucrative trade unfortunately exists. And now, the Tibetan antelope has been chosen as the 2008 Olympic mascot; if the illegal killing doesn’t end soon, these beautiful creatures may be extinct by the time this world famous sporting event takes place.
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