Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation Claws Back to Animal Planet Friday, June 6, at 9 PM

- Another Queen Reigns Over the Kalahari as Stockard Channing Joins the Manor as the Emmy-Nominated Series' Headstrong Narrator -

SILVER SPRING, Md., April 21 -- Meerkat Manor's favorite first family, the Whiskers, was dealt a harsh blow last season with the death of their fearless matriarch, Flower. With the family in shambles, Rocket Dog fought her way to the spot as top "kat" and new leader for the Whiskers clan. But, mutineer Maybelline didn't accept her sister Rocket Dog as queen and ditched the clan to form her own mob, the Aztecs. With the family divided, the sisters' claws come out -- and the Manor is changed forever.

Now, beginning Friday, June 6, at 9 PM (ET/PT), Rocket Dog and Maybelline must live within the rather large shadow of their late mother, Flower, and there's very little room in the Kalahari for both sisters' clans. Not only do the meerkats face predators, harsh desert weather and archenemies the Commandos-there's dissent in their ranks. Without a solid leader to unify them, they face their toughest survival threat yet-each other. The sisters' enmity isn't the first time a family spat has threatened a homeland. History's Tudor queens had a rivalry that put a wedge through England. This season, viewers are knee deep in the Kalahari as betrayals, romances, seductions and new titillating storylines unfurl. The Tudor family had nothing on these mobs- this brand-new generation of meerkats gives new meaning to bad "Manors."

No matter which meerkat deserves the title, this season, another queen reigns over the Kalahari. Emmy-award winning Stockard Channing joins the Manor as the series' headstrong narrator. With her previous role as First Lady on The West Wing, Channing is no stranger to politics.

Each Friday night during the scandalous 13-episode season of MEERKAT MANOR: THE NEXT GENERATION, witness the meerkats in a battle royale of competition and survival. MEERKAT MANOR: NEXT GENERATION takes charge at a new time, Fridays at 9 PM (ET/PT) beginning June 6 and continues thereafter every Friday at 9 PM (ET/PT).

And, as a special Memorial Day weekend tribute, MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS premieres for the first time on television Sunday, May 25, from 8-9:30 PM (ET/PT) only on Animal Planet. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS is a 90-minute biopic about Flower's life and her rise to fame as the leader of the Whiskers. Immediately following the film, THE MAKING OF MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS premieres Sunday, May 25, from 9:30 -10 PM (ET/PT). Then, on Friday, May 30, the film MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS encores from 8-9:30 PM (ET/PT), and it immediately is followed by the half- hour special, THE SCIENCE OF MEERKAT MANOR, beginning at 9:30 PM (ET/PT).

About MEERKAT MANOR: THE NEXT GENERATION

MEERKAT MANOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is produced for Animal Planet International by Oxford Scientific Films (OSF). Caroline Hawkins is the executive producer for OSF. Mick Kaczorowski is the executive producer for Animal Planet U.S.

About MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS

Filmed over a seven-month period, MEERKAT MANOR: THE STORY BEGINS follows the real-life adventures of a unique family of meerkats known as the "Whiskers." In partnership with Oxford Scientific Films/Southern Star, Cambridge University and world-renowned behavioral ecologist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock, Animal Planet and Discovery Films tell the story of "Flower" and her incredible journey as matriarch of the "Whiskers" mob. A prequel to MEERKAT MANOR, the feature film traces the rise of Flower from a young inexperienced meerkat into a remarkable leader who puts her family above all in the fight for survival in one of the harshest deserts on the planet. Moviegoers witness Flower's growth as she raises her family and forges a legacy amidst the unforgiving landscape and constant dangers of the Kalahari.

About ANIMAL PLANET

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets http://www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos and includes web service PetVideo.com; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.