Whether you’re spoiling your pet with the best critter-friendly toys, snuggling up with your loved ones to enjoy the wonders of the animal kingdom or second-guessing a potential purchase of an exotic animal, you’ll love the holiday feast of specials and marathons Animal Planet is serving up this season! Beginning Christmas Eve, Animal Planet presents two back-to-back special premieres of YOUR PET WANTS THIS and YOUR PET WANTS THIS TOO! beginning at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT. Then, on Christmas Day, warm up to the fire and gather your family for a heartwarming marathon of ECHO AND THE ELEPHANTS OF AMBOSELI starting at 9 a.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, followed by a Season 8 marathon of the landmark series BIG CAT DIARY at 3:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. Then, skip the stores this Boxing Day and stay home for Animal Planet’s gripping 14-hour WHALE WARS marathon at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT. And finally, ring in 2011 with an eye-opening three hour special of FATAL ATTRACTIONS beginning at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT.
ANIMAL PLANET’S HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING AND MARATHON SCHEDULE:
YOUR PET WANTS THIS (1X60) *CDN Premiere*
Friday, December 24 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
Americans spend billions of dollars on their pets every year, and while the pet business is booming, innovation is the name of the game. From an airline catering exclusively to pets and GPS tracking units for your dog, to robotic litter boxes for your cat, YOUR PET WANTS THIS showcases the latest and greatest in products for your favourite pet.
YOUR PET WANTS THIS TOO! (1X60) *CDN Premiere*
Friday, December 24 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
From dog powered scooters and talking water bowls, to toilet-training tools for your cat, YOUR PET WANTS THIS TOO! introduces the proud inventors, ecstatic critters and happy owners of some of the coolest gadgets and gizmos available for pets of all shapes and sizes.
ECHO AND THE ELEPHANTS OF AMBOSELI MARATHON (13X30)
Saturday, December 25 at 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET (10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. PT)
Alongside 1,500 other wild African elephants, Echo – the oldest female and head of her family – guides four generations of her relatives through a cruel famine. Observing her are American scientist Cynthia Moss and her team from the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. As Echo nears the end of her life and prepares to pass on the reigns of her African kingdom, Moss and team watch nearby as she leads her family out of harm’s way, steers clear of battling tuskers, prevents clashes with neighbours over water, crops or grazing and avoids natural calamities like deadly mudtraps.
BIG CAT DIARY Season 8 MARATHON (5X30)
Saturday, December 25 at 3:30 – 6 p.m. ET (4:30 – 7 p.m. PT)
Capturing everyday intimate moments of three groups of big cats in Kenya’s Masai Mara –cheetahs, leopards and lions – BIG CAT DIARY blends tender moments and thrilling action to make this landmark series so addictive. Watch as Bella the leopard is being courted by the area’s males, while Honey the cheetah makes some life-threatening decisions and lioness Tamu has to protect her family from a herd of buffalo.
WHALE WARS Season 3 MARATHON (14X60)
Sunday, December 26 at 10 a.m. ET – Monday, December 27 at 12 a.m. ET
(Sunday, December 26 at 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. PT)
The Sea Shepherds return for Season 3 of WHALE WARS with more ships, more crew and more fervour as the Antarctic whaling battle continues to escalate. Highlighting both the controversial whaling trade and the tactics that the Sea Shepherd Society and its staff and volunteers use to attempt to cripple it, this series documents the group’s three-month journey to the South Ocean Whale Sanctuary at the far end of the globe.
FATAL ATTRACTIONS MARATHON (3X60)
Friday, December 31 at 10 p.m. ET – Saturday, January 1 at 1 a.m. ET
(Friday, December 31 at 11 p.m. ET – Saturday, January 1 at 2 a.m. ET)
Just how close can you really get to wild animals? Each episode of FATAL ATTRACTIONS goes inside the homes of wild pet owners who insist that sharing their lives with deadly big cats, chimpanzees and venomous reptiles is worth the risk. Watch as exotic pet ownership cases are carefully re-enacted, scrutinized and questioned, and as owners unhesitatingly share their experiences and offer explanations as to why their love for these deadly animals is worth jeopardizing something horrible – even death.
