ANIMAL PLANET EXPLORES AFRICA'S CRADLE OF HUMANKIND

From the Executive Producer of Discovery Channel's 'Life'

(New York, New York, August 17, 2010) - Visible from space, the magnificent Great Rift Valley stretches almost 4,000 miles from the Middle East to Mozambique in southern Africa. The violent geological forces that formed the Great Rift created fiery lakes of lava, ice-capped mountains and vast lakes. The valley is home to some of the most breathtaking - and exotic - animals and landscapes in the world. On Sunday, August 22 at 8 PM (ET/PT), Animal Planet invites viewers on a two-hour journey of discovery through this extraordinary land and the remarkable animals and plants that thrive there with FIERY PARADISE: AFRICA'S GREAT RIFT.

Known as the 'cradle of humankind,' Africa's Great Rift Valley gave birth to life found nowhere else on Earth. With geographic features as diverse as the spectacular coral reefs on the Red Sea, the majestic snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro, the rain-soaked flanks of the Ruwenzoris, and the vast plains of the Serengeti, the Great Rift is home to a multitude of exotic animals. In a land where elephants, alligators and even flamingos co-exist, FIERY PARADISE: AFRICA'S GREAT RIFT showcases a geographical landscape rich with biodiversity and exciting wildlife.

"Humanity's oldest recollections of the natural world were born in the Great Rift Valley. This is the land where we took our first steps, where we found our place in the animal kingdom," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. "How appropriate to bring these dramatic landscapes and remarkable living creatures to magnificent life on Animal Planet."

FIERY PARADISE: AFRICA'S GREAT RIFT is produced for Animal Planet by Mike Gunton, the award-winning producer of LIFE and executive producer for BBC Worldwide Americas. Dawn Sinsel is executive producer for Animal Planet and Phil Chapman is the series producer for BBC Worldwide Americas.

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.