STRAP ON YOUR BOOTS AND SADDLE UP AS NAT GEO WILD JOURNEYS TO THE WILD WEST

World Premiere Special Explores the Wild Animals of America's Western Coasts, Deserts and Mountains for an Intimate Look into Their Fight for Survival

Justified's Timothy Olyphant Narrates

The Wild West Premieres Sunday, June 2, 8-11 PM ET/PT On Nat Geo WILD

(Washington, D.C., May 8, 2013) - Before cowboys and before the Gold Rush, there were the original outlaws of the West - the truly untamed animals that call America home. Elephant seals settling their scores with blood; black and brown bears prospecting for pink gold in the form of thousands of salmon; and bobcats exploring the New World alone. Now, venture inside the coasts, deserts and mountains where these wild creatures roam.

In the new three-part world-premiere special, The Wild West, premiering Sunday, June 2, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/PT on Nat Geo WILD (following its premiere on March 17 at the Sun Valley Film Festival), cameras explore America's wildlife in the western coasts, deserts and mountains for an intimate look at how these wild animals live, breath and fight to call the western land home. Narrated by Justified's Timothy Olyphant, watch as our country's original outlaws from Montana to California fight for survival, the same way our pioneer ancestors did - by any means necessary!

In a land where wildlife fights to survive, only the toughest will succeed. We'll grant unique access to amazing, up-close footage of some of the toughest creatures to roam our country's west, including rattlesnakes, hawks, bears and wolves. Roam the trees with a family of spotted owl homesteaders struggling to survive in the redwoods. Venture beneath the waves where fringehead fish pursue an age-old feud, while a mother octopus makes the ultimate sacrifice to send her babies into the wild blue yonder. And enter the ring with brown bears fighting for food.

Premiere episodes include:

The Wild West: Gold Rush Sunday, June 2, at 8 p.m. ET/PT In an eat-or-be-eaten environment, see how the smallest mouse to the largest bobcat lives in a world where every day is unpredictable. Our cameras are front and center. We'll capture the famed upstream swim of the Alaskan salmon in brilliant detail, as are their nemeses, the massive brown and black bears. Go inside an elephant seal colony on the shores of California and learn how the boss will stake out his territory to keep their species alive. Then get inside the world of the creatures that call the redwood forest home. And, see how snakes, owls, bobcats and mice all battle for food, shelter and survival among the tallest trees on Earth. Who will take their post as "king" of their land?

The Wild West: High Noon Sunday, June 2, at 9 p.m. ET/PT Journey to the most inhospitable environments in the country - the deserts of the West. The creatures that live here are some of the toughest in the land, including vultures, the undertakers of the desert, and hawks, who hunt and roam the desert like a biker gang. Meet the Western diamondback rattlesnakes, which fight their own kind for dominance and banish the loser to cold nights and scorching days alone. And get up-close access to possibly the most vicious desert-dweller of all, the scorpion, whose diet is made up of ... mostly other scorpions. Only the toughest of the tough can outwit their enemies and survive here.

The Wild West: True Grit Sunday, June 2, at 10 p.m. ET/PT Only the strong survive in the Rocky Mountains. Meet the gray wolves, outlaws of the mountains, feared and respected by all who dwell there. Watch how a pack fights, hunts and keeps order among the wildest animals in the West. Much like the wolves, grizzly bears strike fear into the hearts of the animals living in their territory. Each year, they must teach the young guns how to survive in the rough-and-tumble mountains. And witness cowboys riding bucking broncos, using the same techniques passed down for generations. It's man vs. beast, and these beasts are bred to fight back.

For more information, visit www.natgeowild.com.

The Wild West is produced by National Geographic Television for Nat Geo WILD. For National Geographic Television, executive producer is Jared Lipworth and series producer/writer is Simon Boyce. For Nat Geo WILD, executive producer is Ashley Hoppin, senior vice president of development and production is Janet Han Vissering and executive vice president and general manager is Geoff Daniels.

# # #

About Nat Geo WILD

For more than 30 years, National Geographic has been the leader in wildlife programming. The networks Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo WILD HD, launched in 2010, offer intimate encounters with nature's ferocious fighters and gentle creatures of land, sea and air that draw upon the cutting-edge work of the many explorers, filmmakers and scientists of the National Geographic Society. Part of the National Geographic Channels US, based in Washington, D.C., the networks are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. In 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) debuted, and 10 years later, Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with Nat Geo WILD currently available in 56 million U.S. homes. Globally, Nat Geo WILD is available in more than 100 million homes in 90 countries and 28 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeowild.com.