ANIMAL PLANET EXAMINES THE BATTLE TO SURVIVE ANCIENT NORDIC LANDS IN NEW SPECIAL VIKING WILDERNESS

-- Four-Part Mini-Series Showcases the Arctic North in Stunning HD --

(Silver Spring, MD, September 20, 2011) - At the northern-most reaches of the world, a vast and primal wilderness plays host to nature's most spectacular wildlife and expansive landscapes. Beginning Tuesday, October 4, at 9 PM (ET/PT), Animal Planet will transport viewers to the seemingly boundless countryside of Europe's far north and showcase the beauty and complexity of the species that inhabit it in the new mini-series VIKING WILDERNESS.

Each one-hour episode documents the skills that enable various species to thrive in the erratic Nordic lands, where frozen wastes and active volcanoes are present, and each day is a constant fight to survive. With ferocious winters and short summers, staying one step ahead of hungry and persistent assassins is the difference between life and death for most species that call Scandinavia home. VIKING WILDERNESS explores the brutal conditions and deadly duels that dominate the landscape and make it one of the most challenging locations in the world to thrive.

Highlights from the mini-series include the following:

· The ongoing battle for food between brown bears and wolf packs, pitting the bear's size and strength advantage against the cunning teamwork of the wolves.

· Extreme slow-motion footage of musk oxen duels that include bone crunching and spine-numbing head ramming.

· Arctic fox cubs making their first foray into a wondrous but deadly world and attempting to learn the skills to survive. With famished survivors of the vicious winter on the hunt, it is race against time for the cubs.

· A visit to Scandinavia's vast and complex coastline, home to thousands of animal species. With nearly impregnable cliffs and immense shifting ice flows, these coastlines are the scenes of intense and deadly showdowns between walrus and seals hungry for food and searching for prime territory.

· Snapshots of a landscape prone to freezing winters and volcanic fires. The animals brave enough to call this area home must utilize the land's geothermal heat to survive deadly blizzards and fight for their food and territory under the threat of lava flow and ash clouds.

VIKING WILDERNESS is produced for Animal Planet by Parthenon Entertainment, Ltd. Carl Hall and Amanda Theunissen are executive producers for Parthenon. For Animal Planet, Mick Kaczorowski is the executive producer.

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.