LAST AMERICAN COWBOY BRINGS THE MAJESTY AND THE CHALLENGE OF THE WEST TO ANIMAL PLANET

Beginning June 7, Mother Nature Will Make or Break Three Montana Ranching Families in this New

May 5, 2010

LAST AMERICAN COWBOY BRINGS THE MAJESTY AND THE CHALLENGE OF THE WEST TO ANIMAL PLANET

- Beginning June 7, Mother Nature Will Make or Break Three Montana Ranching Families in this New Series-

(Silver Spring, MD, May 4, 2010) - Hidden amid the mammoth- Montana landscape are three family-owned and operated cattle ranches and the setting of Animal Planet's newest original series, LAST AMERICAN COWBOY. This epic adventure follows three families of tough, tenacious and headstrong cowboys through freak storms, deadly outbreaks of disease, hungry predators and forest fires that threaten their livelihood. Each ranch will need to rely on family bonds and personal strength to keep this tradition of the American West alive.

Premiering Monday, June 7, at 10 PM (ET/PT), LAST AMERICAN COWBOY shares the highs and lows of life on a ranch for the Hughes, Galt and Stucky families. From the multi-generational ranch family committed to working only on horseback to the modern rancher who uses high-tech equipment, all-terrain vehicles and even a helicopter to manage his massive operation to the small nuclear family determined to persevere against all odds, all must struggle to make ends meet and all are deeply committed to this classic way of life lived close to the land.

The Hughes family, the smallest of the three ranches, is as close to "Little House on the Prairie" as you can get. Scott and Stacey Hughes, along with their three-year old son and nine-year-old daughter, live on a 12,000-acre ranch and manage their herd of 500 Black Angus all alone. Comparatively, the Galt Ranch is one of the largest cattle ranches in Montana with over 100,000 acres, 5,500 cattle and 100 horses. It is so vast that owner Bill Galt manages it from the sky in his own helicopter. Bill and the rest of the Galt family believe technology is the future of ranching and necessary to efficiently run a ranch of this size and caliber. Contrary to the Galt family, the Stuckys are traditional ranchers choosing horseback over ATVs and doing most of the work by hand. Keeping these traditions alive is deeply important to the entire clan, and as the ranch continues to grow and expand, the Stuckys hope it will be passed down through generations.

"The families featured in LAST AMERICAN COWBOY have extraordinary and compelling stories of grit and determination as they struggle to preserve their way of life for future generations," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet Media. "The rawness and tenacity of the American West has built their character and continues to test it everyday, and we are privileged to offer our viewers a glimpse into an authentic way of life few get to see first hand."

LAST AMERICAN COWBOY thrusts viewers into the glorious landscape of Montana and the remarkable world of cattle ranching. For these families it comes down to one paycheck per year, and they will do whatever it takes to continue to live and to share the life they love.

LAST AMERICAN COWBOY is sponsored by Physicians Mutual, headquartered in Omaha, Neb. Physicians Mutual Insurance Company and Physicians Life Insurance Company are members of the Physicians Mutual family.

LAST AMERICAN COWBOY is produced for Animal Planet by Base Productions. Robert Curran, John Brenkus and Mickey Stern are the executive producers for Base Productions. Executive producer for Animal Planet is Erin Wanner. Marc Etkind is the vice president of development for 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 96 million homes in the US; online assets 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; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.