ANIMAL PLANET WRAPS UP 2015 BY GIFTING VIEWERS WITH HOLIDAY-THEMED PROGRAMMING DURING "WILD WINTER NIGHTS"

- Starting Monday, December 14, Animal Planet Stuffs Your Stockings and Rings in the New Year with 19 Days of Seasonal-Themed Premieres -

- Rockers AMERICAN AUTHORS and the ASPCA Join the Festivities to Present the Best Pet Adoption Stories of 2015 -

(New York - November 18, 2015) - Time to throw another log on the fireplace, warm up your favorite comfort food, curl up under a toasty blanket and celebrate with your furry friends as Animal Planet transforms the holiday season with its WILD WINTER NIGHTS programming event. Beginning Monday, December 14 and continuing through Friday, January 1, the network kicks off a 19-day celebration with holiday-themed episodes of fan-favorite series and exclusive sneak peeks of what's to come in 2016. Additionally, AMERICAN AUTHORS, the band behind the breakout hit song "Best Day of My Life," teams up with the ASPCA(R) (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(R)) to spread the spirit of animal adoption by sharing heartfelt rescue stories that will air throughout WILD WINTER NIGHTS and at AnimalPlanet.com/WildWinterNights.

With daily marathons and special seasonal episodes of top series, Animal Planet extends holly and jolly winter gifts to loyal viewers with holiday premieres including THE LAST ALASKANS, MONSTERS INSIDE ME, TREEHOUSE MASTERS, PIT BULLS & PAROLEES, TANKED, DR. DEE: ALASKA VET and DR. JEFF: ROCKY MOUNTAIN VET.

"WILD WINTER NIGHTS is a holiday feast of Animal Planet programming, offering our viewers a slate of new seasonal specials as the marshmallow in their favorite cocoa," said Rick Holzman, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Animal Planet. "It's a perfect chance for viewers and their families - two legged and four legged - to relax, kick back on the sofa and stay warm watching the best of Animal Planet."

WILD WINTER NIGHTS programming includes:

THE LAST ALASKANS: Holiday Memories World Premiere Monday, December 14, at 9 PM (ET/PT) TV-PG

Hundreds of miles from civilization, the last residents of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge reflect on past holiday celebrations while they live off the grid. An amply decorated Christmas tree is an important tradition for Edna Korth. At the risk of annoying Heimo with an overwhelming amount of tinsel, Edna searches for the perfect tree to keep an important tradition close to home. Bob Harte faces challenges when he cooks a traditional Alaskan meal 300 miles from the nearest grocery store. Tyler and Ashley Selden have a friendly fishing competition to catch their holiday dinner. The Lewis daughters reveal their nostalgic childhood secrets and spy on their parents wrapping gifts. Later, daylight returns to the refuge for the first time in months.

MONSTERS INSIDE ME: All I Got For Christmas Is Brain Surgery World Premiere Thursday, December 17, at 9 PM (ET/PT) TV-14

In Texas, little Lillian, a Christmas baby, can't use the left side of her body. To the horror of her parents, doctors discover that the right side of her brain is malformed, which also leads to life-threatening seizures. To try to save her life and determine the cause of this malformation, doctors cut out half her brain. In South Carolina, a mysterious ailment afflicts Jenny, a PR executive, during the course of an entire year. As Hanukkah rolls around, the woman faces her own mortality as she endures a very risky surgery. In Arizona, deadly seizures ruin school teacher Dawn's Thanksgiving. As Christmas rolls around, her seizures worsen, which forces doctors to perform brain surgery... while she's awake!

TREEHOUSE MASTERS: Merry Fishmas! World Premiere Friday, December 18, at 9 PM (ET/PT) TV-PG

Pete and his crew head to Lampe, Missouri to visit Dogwood Canyon, a 10,000-acre nature preserve established by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. Once on location, Pete is tasked to build a nature center 14 feet off the ground that can withstand thousands of visitors for the company's upcoming Christmas party. Despite a tight deadline, Pete and his crew race to create a rustic two-story hands-on learning haven filled with wildlife displays, interactive activities and artifacts that promote the importance of nature appreciation with kids and adults alike.

PIT BULLS & PAROLEES: Holiday Special World Premiere Saturday, December 19, at 9 PM (ET/PT) TV-PG

With the holidays quickly approaching, Tia surprises her family, the parolees and every dog at the rescue with an extraordinary gift. But turning the giant gift into something Villalobos can actually use requires a herculean effort. Tia's children and the community band together to help build a new future for Villalobos. In the midst of all the activity, Tia devises a plan to give a shy little pit bull mix special attention as it struggles with life in the kennels. Later, after years of being separated from his mother, one of Villalobos' hardest working parolees cooks a Christmas dinner in an attempt to make up for lost time.

TANKED: Holiday Madness World Premiere Friday, December 25, at 9 PM (ET/PT) TV-PG

The entire Acrylic Tank Manufacturing staff helps ring in the holiday season as co-owners Wayde King and Brett Raymer try to out build each another in ATM's first-ever Tank Off! With a New York state of mind, Wayde designs his tank to include the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline while Brett models his tank after the Lost City of Atlantis. The competition becomes even more heated when Jackass creator Jeff Tremaine returns to judge who has built the craziest tank!

DR. DEE: ALASKA VET: 'Tis The Season World Premiere Saturday, December 26, at 9 PM (ET/PT) TV-14

Dr. Dee performs emergency surgery on a Yorkie puppy while she mans her busy clinic. At the Antler Academy in the North Pole, Dr. Terry fights to save one of Santa's reindeers after he discovers its winter coat is still intact, causing the animal to overheat and impair its breathing. Later, Dr. Dee rescues puppies from remote villages in the hope of finding them forever homes.

DR. JEFF: ROCKY MOUNTAIN VET: Holiday Special World Premiere Saturday, December 26, at 10 PM (ET/PT) TV-PG

With the holidays quickly approaching, Dr. Jeff's clinic is busier than ever. Dr. Jeff performs emergency leg surgery on a dog found tied to a fence. With the brutally cold Denver winter on the horizon, the clinic staff hosts a fun run to raise money for animals in need. Later, a stray Pomeranian finds its forever home just in time for the holidays.

Animal Planet, 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. Animal Planet consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, and merchandising extensions.