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.

About Animal Planet:
Animal Planet, one of Discovery, Inc.’s great global brands, is dedicated to creating high quality content with global appeal delivering on its mission to keep the childhood joy and wonder of animals alive by bringing people up close in every way. Available to 360 million homes in more than 205 countries and territories, Animal Planet combines content that explores the undeniable bonds forged between animals and humans, optimized across all screens around the world. In the U.S., Animal Planet audiences can enjoy their favorite programming anytime, anywhere through the Animal Planet Go app which features live and on-demand access. For more information, please visit www.animalplanet.com.

About Discovery:

Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media and a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour to create the Global Home of Golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Motor Trend, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, 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 and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit https://corporate.discovery.com/ and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.