ANIMAL PLANET HUNTS FOR THE ELUSIVE SASQUATCH IN NEW SERIES, "FINDING BIGFOOT"

-- New Six-Part Series Follows the Sleuths of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization As They Traverse the Country in Search of the Legendary Beast --

(Silver Spring, MD, May 4, 2011) - For hundreds of years, Americans in nearly every state have claimed they've spotted the mysterious and unexplainable creature known as Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. However, no one has proven that this pedaled creature - reportedly standing more than seven-feet tall and covered from head to toe in dark hair - actually exists. And as the myth grows, so does the passion for validating its existence once and for all!

Beginning Sunday, June 5, at 10 PM (ET/PT), Animal Planet joins the quest with FINDING BIGFOOT. In each hour-long episode of the six-part series, cameras follow a team of Bigfoot researchers in a cross-country expedition to dissolve the myth and locate the elusive beast.

A four-person team from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) - the leading scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery - investigates supposed Sasquatch sightings by interviewing locals, examining evidence and infiltrating the woodlands and forests in places where Bigfoot has been reported, including Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. In each state, the team listens to harrowing tales of run-ins with Bigfoot before generating reconstructions of the encounters to judge their plausibility or dismiss them as hoaxes. Then, outfitted with the latest technology, including night-vision and infrared cameras, the team sets out on exhilarating and eerie investigations where any broken branch or peculiar noise could mean a Sasquatch is lurking nearby.

The BFRO Team is comprised of a former roadie (Bobo), a science teacher (Cliff), the BFRO president (Matt) and a skeptical scientist (Ranae); each teammate has varying experiences with Bigfoot and differing beliefs about the existence of this enigma. What binds them together, however, is their longing to understand the creature, passion for proving its existence and willingness to stop at nothing to finally track down Bigfoot. In the end, will they verify the presence of Bigfoot and convert skeptics, or will this obscure American legend elude them too?

"The main mission of the BFRO is to resolve the mystery surrounding this great American phenomenon," says Matt Moneymaker, co-founder of BRFO. "I can't think of a better way to do that than by going on location and visiting each reported Sasquatch sighting."

FINDING BIGFOOT is produced for Animal Planet by Ping Pong Productions. Keith Hoffman is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Brad Kuhlman and Casey Brumels are the executive producers for Ping Pong Productions. Marc Etkind is Vice President of development for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media

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 97 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.