Animal Planet's "The Zoo" Continues to Deliver an All-Access and Exclusive Look at the Bronx Zoo

Animal Planet's "The Zoo" Continues to Deliver an All-Access and Exclusive Look at the Bronx Zoo
This season the unscripted docuseries will feature animals and staff at all five Wildlife Conservation Society parks in New York City - the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium.

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[via press release from Animal Planet] ANIMAL PLANET'S "THE ZOO" CONTINUES TO DELIVER AN ALL-ACCESS AND EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT THE BRONX ZOO

-All New Season Starts Sunday, February 10 at 8PM-
Animal Planet's THE ZOO goes behind the scenes at the world-famous Bronx Zoo for a third season to share powerful stories that put a spotlight on the extraordinary and diverse expertise of the zoo staff as they care for animals and work for the conservation of wildlife. This season the unscripted docuseries will feature animals and staff at all five Wildlife Conservation Society parks in New York City - the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium. The all-new season premieres Sunday, February 10 at 8PM ET/PT.

More than 50 stories were filmed over eight months as up to three film crews documented the day-to-day activities at the Bronx Zoo and its sister parks. Some of the animals featured in the new season include: a camel, who has a toupee created for him as he heals from a medical procedure; the birth and rearing of a baby mandrill; the rescue of a young peregrine falcon who was injured in downtown Manhattan as it attempted to take its first flight off a skyscraper; and an up-close look at the building and opening of the Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit at the New York Aquarium that includes the moving of a group of large sharks to their new habitat. Other new animals introduced this season include a marmot, Andean bears, a Rodrigues fruit bat pup, warthog, snow monkeys, Nile crocodile, a sloth, and many more. The Animal Planet audience will also see updates on animals from past seasons.

"We had an amazing time filming the third season of THE ZOO and look forward to sharing many new stories which show the bonds our staff have with the animals, and the importance of zoos and aquariums to the conservation of wildlife," said Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and EVP of Zoos & Aquarium for the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Once again, viewers can catch more episodes on the original mid-form series, THE ZOO: FROM THE INSIDE, which takes audiences behind the scenes and offers them exclusive looks at operations zoo guests never see. The web series will be available to fans on Animal Planet GO and Facebook Watch.

Season two of THE ZOO, which concluded in May 2018, was up double digits (+21%) among Adults 25-54 vs. season one; the season was also up double digits among other key demos that included Adults 18-34 (+35%) and Adults 2-17 (+57%). Each episode of the series last season averaged more than 1.1 million total viewers (P2+).

THE ZOO is produced for Animal Planet by Left/Right and Copper Pot Pictures. Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Anneka Jones and Michael LaHaie are the executive producers for Left/Right. David LaMattina and Chad Walker are the executive producers for Copper Pot Pictures. Lisa Lucas is the executive producer; Patrick Keegan is supervising producer for Animal Planet. 

Animal Planet's "The Zoo" Returns for a Second Season March 10 at 9 PM ET/PT

Animal Planet's "The Zoo" Returns for a Second Season March 10 at 9 PM ET/PT
The first-ever series to go behind the scenes at the world-famous Bronx Zoo returns for an all-new season.

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[via press release from Animal Planet] ANIMAL PLANET'S "THE ZOO" RETURNS FOR A SECOND SEASON MARCH 10 at 9 PM ET/PT

Animal Planet's THE ZOO, the first-ever series to go behind the scenes at the world-famous Bronx Zoo, returns for an all-new season on Saturday, March 10 at 9 PM ET/PT. THE ZOO shares an unscripted look at the knowledge and diverse skills needed to operate a zoo. It focuses on the level of care given to the animals, the bond that exists between the animals and the staff, and how the higher purpose of zoos and aquariums is conservation of species in the wild.

All-new stories and animals this season include Dave, a red kangaroo who bounces back from arthritic symptoms after undergoing chryotherapy; breeding komodo dragons; keepers training bats, a golden eagle and Indian gharials; the head-starting of hellbenders, a giant salamander found in Eastern North America, for introduction into the wild; and how a keeper deals with retiring after 31 years of caring for Happy, Patty and Maxine, the zoo's three female Asian elephants.

This season, viewers can also catch the new original mid-form series, THE ZOO: FROM THE INSIDE, which takes audiences behind the scenes and offers them exclusive looks at operations zoo guests never see. Stories include: an after-hours look at the animal commissary, where food is stored and delivered every night for the animals; feeding time with tigers and baby penguins; and much more. The web series will be available to fans on Animal Planet GO and Facebook Watch.
THE ZOO premiered in Feb. 2017 to 1.1 million Total Viewers and pushed Animal Planet into ad-supported cable's Top 10 in the timeslot among viewers. Throughout the season, every episode of THE ZOO averaged more than one million viewers making it Animal Planet's most watched freshman series since July 2015.

The first season of THE ZOO can be watched in its entirety on the Animal Planet Go app which allows viewers to watch live and catch up on full episodes of their favorite Animal Planet programs on multiple devices anytime, anywhere.

THE ZOO is produced for Animal Planet by Left/Right Productions and Copper Pot. Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver are the executive producers for Left/Right Productions. David LaMattina and Chad Walker are the executive producers for Copper Pot. Lisa Lucas is the executive producer; Patrick Keegan is supervising producer for Animal Planet. 

Animal Planet Greenlights Second Season of "The Zoo"

Animal Planet Greenlights Second Season of "The Zoo"
The series, which is the first to go behind the scenes at the world-famous zoo, focuses on the powerful and compelling stories of animals and their keepers, and the zoo's mission to conserve wildlife around the globe.

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[via press release from Animal Planet]

    

ANIMAL PLANET GREENLIGHTS SECOND SEASON OF "THE ZOO"
Animal Planet announces today the greenlight of a second season of its popular series THE ZOO which begins production this month on location from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo in New York. The series, which is the first to go behind the scenes at the world-famous zoo, focuses on the powerful and compelling stories of animals and their keepers, and the zoo's mission to conserve wildlife around the globe. THE ZOO also features the people who work at the zoo and how their expertise and varied skills come together to provide the highest quality care for the animals. THE ZOO will return to Animal Planet in early 2018.

During the first season of THE ZOO, stories included zookeepers and veterinarians helping Ntondo, a silverback gorilla diagnosed with glaucoma; two keeper-raised Malayan tiger cubs preparing to be introduced to their exhibit; and the hatching of a little blue penguin, the first of her species to be hatched at the Bronx Zoo. Viewers followed the Bronx Zoo's staff as they journeyed to East Africa to reintroduce 1000 extinct-in-the-wild spray toads to the Kihansi Gorge; performed a root canal on a snow leopard that was rescued as a cub from a remote region in Pakistan; and the history of the Bronx Zoo's efforts to save the American bison from extinction.

THE ZOO premiered in Feb. to 1.1 million Total Viewers and pushed Animal Planet into ad-supported cable's Top 10 in the timeslot among viewers. Throughout the season, every episode of THE ZOO averaged more than one million viewers making it Animal Planet's most watched freshman series since July 2015.

"Our series, with its unvarnished look at the Bronx Zoo, its animals and the people dedicated to their well-being, has helped define what a Saturday night on Animal Planet is today: a network with heart, and inspirational characters who protect and care for animals," said Patrice Andrews, General Manager of Animal Planet.

"We are excited to shoot another season of The Zoo with Animal Planet," said Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and EVP of Zoos and Aquarium at the Wildlife Conservation Society. "The show gave viewers an opportunity to see what happens every day at the zoo, presenting an uncontrived and unscripted look at how we go about caring for the animals and linking our work at the zoo to preserving species in the wild. It was great to receive all the positive feedback from viewers and guests on the relationship between the animals and the people who care for them and the important role that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums members play in conserving species in the wild."
THE ZOO is produced for Animal Planet by Left/Right Productions and Copper Pot. Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver are executive producers for Left/Right Productions and Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker are executive producers for Copper Pot. For Animal Planet, Lisa Lucas is executive producer with Patrick Keegan as supervising producer. 

For the First Time Ever Animal Planet Takes Audiences Behind the Scenes at the Bronx Zoo in All-New Docuseries "The Zoo"

For the First Time Ever Animal Planet Takes Audiences Behind the Scenes at the Bronx Zoo in All-New Docuseries "The Zoo"
The newcomer premieres Saturday, February 18 at 10:00/9:00c.

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[via press release from Animal Planet] FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ANIMAL PLANET TAKES AUDIENCES BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE BRONX ZOO IN ALL-NEW DOCUSERIES "THE ZOO"

(New York, NY) - Animal Planet takes audiences on a first-ever, in-depth look behind the scenes at the Bronx Zoo, a New York institution and global leader in animal care and species conservation. With full access to the Bronx Zoo's 265-acre campus, located a mere ten miles from New York's Times Square, Animal Planet shines a light on a wondrous world of more than 6,000 animals and the 500-plus people dedicated to their care and well-being. THE ZOO premieres Saturday, February 18th at 10PM ET/PT.

THE ZOO, filmed over an 8-month period, focuses on the stories of dozens of animals and experiences at the Bronx Zoo, and its critical mission to conserve wildlife around the globe. It also highlights the diverse community of people who work at the zoo, and how their expertise and varied skills come together to provide the highest quality care for the animals.

In the premiere episode, Ntondo, a silverback gorilla is diagnosed with glaucoma and staff devise a strategy to keep him comfortable, two keeper-raised Malayan tiger cubs are prepared for their introduction to their exhibit at Tiger Mountain and a zookeeper methodically orchestrates the introduction of two endangered maleo birds to form a pair bond, breed - and eventually, produce a chick. Other storylines include how the Bronx and Toledo Zoos worked to prevent the extinction of the Kihansi spray toad; the rescue of an orphaned snow leopard cub from a remote region in Pakistan; and the history of the Bronx Zoo's conservation efforts with the American bison.

"The Zoo is an inspiring and eye-opening first ever look at the diverse animals residing at the Bronx Zoo and the passionate caretakers working at the zoo. Our series gives amazing access for our viewers to get a first-hand look at the conservation efforts of the Wildlife Conservation Society," said Patrice Andrews, General Manager of Animal Planet.

Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and WCS Executive Vice President of Zoos and Aquarium said, "THE ZOO highlights the role of how the Association of Zoos and Aquariums provide excellent care to individual animals and work to sustain species for the future. We are really happy to be sharing this series with the Animal Planet audience as the series emphasizes that today's zoos must do more than exhibit animals; they must have a higher purpose and that purpose is conservation of species in the wild."

Added Pat Thomas, General Curator of the Bronx Zoo and WCS Vice President, who managed the production for the zoo, "We gave Animal Planet total access so that viewers could see, feel and be part of what we do every day at the Bronx Zoo."

THE ZOO is produced for Animal Planet by Left/Right Productions and Copper Pot. Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver are the executive producers for Left/Right Productions. David LaMattina and Chad Walker are the executive producers for Copper Pot. Lisa Lucas is the executive producer; Patrick Keegan is supervising producer for Animal Planet.

About Animal Planet
Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the network of hit franchise series RIVER MONSTERS, PIT BULLS & PAROLEES and TREEHOUSE MASTERS and the home of provocative and award-winning specials and documentary films presented under the banner ANIMAL PLANET PRESENTS. Animal Planet's programming also includes quarterly tent pole TV events PUPPY BOWL, the largest non-sports TV on Super Bowl Sunday, and MONSTER WEEK. Animal Planet is the premiere TV, digital and social community for animal lovers and pet owners, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment across all Animal Planet assets including: Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US, that is complimented with a deep Video On Demand offering; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; Animal Planet social including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

About the Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo, a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is the flagship zoological park of the Wildlife Conservation Society. It opened in 1899 and is one of the most well-known and respected zoos in the world. It is a leader in animal care and in the conservation of species in the wild.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) satisfies curiosity and engages superfans with a portfolio of premium nonfiction, sports and kids programming brands. Reaching 3 billion cumulative viewers across pay-TV and free-to-air platforms in more than 220 countries and territories, Discovery's portfolio includes the global brands Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports content across Europe. Discovery reaches audiences across screens through digital-first programming from Discovery VR, Seeker and SourceFed Studios, as well as over-the-top and TV Everywhere offerings including Eurosport Player, Dplay, Discovery K!ds Play and Discovery GO. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.