Get set for a fantastic Fall on Animal Planet with a whole slate of new series and blue-chip specials. First, don’t miss HERO DOGS OF 9-11, an incredible one-hour special about dogs that were part of the rescue and recovery operation in lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Then, catch a trio of “Must-See AP” premieres, including extraordinary exterminators on VERMINATORS, the fictional world of legendary beasts in LOST TAPES, and the return of the paranormally-themed THE HAUNTED. Next, the shocking AP INVESTIGATES: CANNED HUNTS exposes the controversial world of captive hunting – viewer discretion is advised. And finally, discover how pit bull champion and entertainment guru Shorty Rossi rescues, rehabs, and trains one of the most misunderstood dog breeds in the world on the hit show PIT BOSS.
Programming highlights for Animal Planet in September include:
NEW SERIES
Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, beginning September 8
Whether it’s bedbugs that snack on sleeping bodies or termites that threaten the very foundation of your home – pests must be controlled. Meet the ultimate team of bug-busting exterminators when VERMINATORS makes its Animal Planet premiere. Each year, pests do billions of dollars of damage to properties globally and leave behind a host of deadly diseases in their wake. Mike Masterson, head “Verminator” at elite extermination company ISOTECH, and his team take on the worst infestations imaginable, from apartments teeming with cockroaches to those nocturnal nibblers, bed bugs. From skunks to pigeons and black widow spiders, there is no pest problem that they can’t handle.
Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT, beginning September 10
Reports of human encounters with mysterious and often dangerous beasts continue to surface. Through eyewitness accounts and legend, LOST TAPES dramatizes what might happen if someone met one of these obscure creatures – that science refuses to recognize – and it was caught on tape. In the water, in the woods, in the skies – they could be living among us and LOST TAPES explores what would happen if we met them face-to-face!
Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, beginning September 26
Shorty Rossi’s a little person with a tall order. He runs two operations – a Hollywood talent management company for little people and a pit bull rescue which he holds near and dear to his heart. Rossi has lofty ideas but is armed with a tough, no-nonsense attitude and an entertainment rolodex to help his cause – to rescue and rehabilitate pit bulls and place these “underdogs” in loving, nurturing homes. Joining forces with Rossi to help with his mission are his three employees and fellow little people who have the biggest hearts for dogs that are often larger than they are. Knowing full well what it’s like to be judged, the foursome takes on the gargantuan task of rescuing dogs in need and raising awareness about the most misunderstood dog of all – the pit bull.
RETURNING SERIES
Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, beginning September 25
Animals are commonly believed to be more intuitive than humans. They are capable of sensing spirits that cannot be seen or heard by even the most open minds. THE HAUNTED chronicles true, chilling and terrifying ghost stories of pets and people spooked by paranormal spirits. In each episode, a paranormal team investigates the ghostly scene using infrared cameras and sensitive recording devices to capture and record those reaching out from beyond. Cinematic re-creations paired with witness testimonies and paranormal evidence brings these unsettling tales to life.
NEW SPECIALS
HERO DOGS OF 9-11
Sunday, September 11 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT
This one-hour documentary special tells the true stories of the working dogs that were part of the rescue and recovery operation in lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The special focuses on the unsung hero pups who answered the call, their enduring legacy, and what the future holds for the working dog today. Note: HERO DOGS OF 9-11 will air on the 10th anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington.
AP INVESTIGATES: CANNED HUNTS
Sunday, September 18 at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. PT
On the latest edition of AP INVESTIGATES, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) goes on a mission to save exotic animals from canned or captive hunts, a practice that they see as a bloody, unfair death…and, moreover, it is a practice that they believe should be banned nationwide. Canned or captive hunting, where tame, exotic and sometimes endangered animals are shot at close range in enclosed areas has always been shrouded in secrecy – with over 1,000-canned hunt ranches operating (and thriving) in the United States alone. On a typical canned hunt, hunters can stalk a wildebeest for $3,700, a zebra for $5,000, and an exotic hoofed animal for a whopping $15,000… and to guarantee the kill, the animal is held within a fence and can’t get away. With undercover cameras and assumed identities, HSUS investigators infiltrate canned-hunt operations in Texas and fight to expose what’s really going on behind the fences of this controversial billion-dollar industry.
