ON WORLD ELEPHANT DAY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL ANNOUNCES RELAUNCH OF AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY SERIES "EXPLORER" WITH GRIPPING SPECIAL INVESTIGATION INTO AFRICA'S ILLEGAL IVORY TRADE

Using a Smuggled Tusk With a Hidden GPS Tracker, National Geographic's Bryan Christy Follows Ivory's Bloody Trail to the Doorsteps of Africa's Most Notorious Militias

Explorer: Warlords of Ivory Premieres Sunday, Aug. 30, at 8/7c; To Further Highlight the Importance of Saving the Majestic Elephant, Nat Geo WILD Premieres One-Hour Special Elephant Queen Aug. 30 at 9/8c

(Washington, D.C. - Aug. 12, 2015) After a five-year hiatus, National Geographic Channel (NGC), in conjunction with National Geographic magazine (NGM) and National Geographic Studios, relaunches the critically acclaimed documentary series Explorer (natgeotv.com/explorer, #NatGeoExplorer) as a monthly series this August. The series opener, Explorer: Warlords of Ivory, premieres Sunday, Aug. 30, at 8/7c, taking an in-depth look at the devastating effects of the global illegal ivory trade. And to continue National Geographic's cross-platform commitment to this important cause, Nat Geo WILD premieres the one-hour special Elephant Queen the same night at 9/8c, further reinforcing why these majestic creatures are so worthy of our protection. For more information, visit our press room foxflash.com and follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/NGC_PR).

The broad strokes of the ivory poaching tragedy are well documented: Some 30,000 African elephants are slaughtered every year for their tusks; thousands of people are attacked, raped and murdered in the path of destruction paid for in part by the trade. Until now, no one has been able to show how the pieces of this deadly puzzle connect - how the ivory is stripped from the corpses of elephants systematically killed by increasingly militarized poachers; how the ivory crosses the African continent to be traded for money to purchase weapons and ammunition; and how the ivory and weapons are stockpiled to sustain a campaign of crime and terrorism.

In this gripping report, National Geographic Fellow and NGM contributor Bryan Christy (@BryanChristy) - a veteran reporter of wildlife trafficking wars and chief correspondent for the magazine's new Special Investigations Unit - devises a new tool to investigate how illegal ivory is moved both within Africa and outside of its borders. He commissions an artificial elephant tusk designed to look and feel like confiscated tusks loaned to him by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The artificial tusk is embedded with a custom-made GPS and satellite-based tracking system, and is used to track the people who kill elephants and to learn what roads, ports, cities and countries their ivory plunder follows.

Christy's artificial tusk leads him to the doorsteps of Africa's most notorious militias and terrorist groups, all of them known for looting communities, raping and enslaving villagers and killing park rangers who stand in their way. His reporting, though dangerous, is vitally important to help world authorities identify and follow the sources of illegal ivory and to stop the trade in its tracks. Christy's investigation is featured on the cover of the September issue of National Geographic magazine, on digital newsstands Aug. 12 and on print newsstands Aug. 25.

To further highlight the importance of Christy's efforts, Nat Geo WILD will premiere on the same night the one-hour special Elephant Queen, an intimate look inside a majestic herd of African elephants. After the tragic death of her daughter, a herd matriarch must lead her elephants to safety in a breathtaking and inspirational journey.

This epic adventure takes this family across an arid desert, past mud swamps, through a valley of dust storms and beyond the lion gatekeepers of a forbidden kingdom, into the herds' ancient feeding grounds in the Okavango Delta. The route the elephants follow is an ancient one, etched in their memories for generations, and leads from watering hole to watering hole in an invisible map across the dry lands in an epic journey sure to inspire passion to protect these creatures.

Over the course of its original 25-year run, Explorer took viewers inside North Korea; on the trail of one of the world's most dangerous gangs, MS-13; to the gambling dens of Japan's Yakuza gang; on the hunt for the mysterious Afghan Girl, whose striking eyes mesmerized readers of National Geographic magazine in 1985; and to the heavily guarded warehouses of Brazil's wild animal trade. The original series was honored with nearly 60 Emmys and hundreds of other awards during its run from 1985 to 2010. Over the course of more than 2,000 films, Explorer took viewers to more than 120 countries, opening a window on hidden parts of the world, unlocking mysteries both ancient and modern and investigating stories of science, nature and culture.

Each monthly episode of the new Explorer will take a similar deep dive inside a story from the pages of the current issue of National Geographic magazine. Viewers will venture not only to the most remote corners of the globe, but also to the farthest reaches of the mind and deepest crevices of history - on an urgent mission of discovery.

National Geographic magazine has been the official journal of the National Geographic Society for nearly 127 years. In addition to its groundbreaking photographic legacy, over the course of its history the magazine's images have documented numerous discoveries and expeditions (many funded by the National Geographic Society), from the first American ascent of Everest to Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey's pioneering work with primates in Africa to Jacques Cousteau's dives and James Cameron's historic solo descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 2012. The magazine's partnership with NGC for Explorer will expand the magazine's reach more than 10 times its current print and digital circulation in the United States.

Explorer: Warlords of Ivory is produced for National Geographic Channel by National Geographic Studios. For National Geographic Studios, producers are J.J. Kelley and John Heminway; executive producers are Jared Lipworth and Dave Snyder; vice president of production is Brian Lovett; executive vice president is Jeff Hasler and president is Brooke Runnette. For National Geographic Channel, executive producer is Robert Palumbo; vice president of production is Matt Renner; and president, original programming and production, is Tim Pastore.

# # #

National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the 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 NGC currently available in nearly 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit natgeotv.com, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NatGeoTVUS or follow @NatGeoChannel on Twitter and Instagram.

National Geographic Magazine

National Geographic magazine has a long tradition of combining on-the-ground reporting with award-winning photography to inform people about life on our planet. The magazine is the official journal of the National Geographic Society, a global nonprofit membership organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world. Published in English and nearly 40 local-language editions, National Geographic magazine has a global circulation of about 6.7 million. It is sent each month to National Geographic members and is available at ngm.com and on print and digital newsstands (smartphones and tablet computers).

National Geographic Studios

National Geographic Studios is the video and film production division of the National Geographic Society, a global nonprofit membership organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world. From television series and specials to giant screen, from mobile video to digital news and educational content, National Geographic Studios' productions embody the Society's long-standing reputation for stunning visuals and captivating storytelling. National Geographic Studios has received nearly 150 Emmy Awards and almost 1,000 other industry accolades, including recognition from the Peabody Awards, DuPont Columbia Awards, multiple film and museum industry awards and the highest honors from natural history film festivals. National Geographic Studios also produces and distributes giant screen and digital 3D films for the museum cinema industry. Brooke Runnette is president of National Geographic Studios.