ANIMAL PLANET TAKES AUDIENCES BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM IN ALL-NEW SERIES "THE AQUARIUM" (wt)

Animal Planet announces today the production of all-new series, THE AQUARIUM (working title), produced by Left/Right, a part of Red Arrow Entertainment Group (The Zoo) and Copper Pot Pictures. Georgia Aquarium, which plays a crucial role in aquatic conservation throughout the world, opens its doors to allow Animal Planet's cameras unprecedented access to the inner-workings of the Western Hemisphere's largest aquarium. The series will document incredible aquatic animals and the people dedicated to their care. THE AQUARIUM (wt) premieres in 2019.

THE AQUARIUM focuses on the care given to thousands of aquatic animals, the bond between animals and the staff and the stories about the animals who call the 10 million gallons of water at the aquarium home, including rescued Southern sea otters, endangered African penguins, rescued California sea lions, whale sharks, and manta rays. The series follows the day-to-day activities of the aquarium's biologists, researchers and trainers, and reveals the mechanics of the aquarium, including 70 miles of piping, monitored by onsite 24 hour a day support technicians; the hourly filtering of all 10 million gallons of fresh and salt water; and the specialized exhibit lighting designed to simulate natural day and night cycles for a variety of species.

The series also documents Georgia Aquarium's ongoing efforts to protect aquatic species in nature as they travel to their own backyard and across the world to countries and territories such as South Africa and St. Helena, a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic.

"The Georgia Aquarium is home to an incredible array of animals and aquatic creatures and is also dedicated to many global conservation initiatives. We are delighted to be partnering with the team at the aquarium to bring viewers up-close to a wide range of unusual and very special animals in this all-access series," said Susanna Dinnage, global president of Animal Planet.

"For years, Animal Planet has been bringing their audiences closer to some of the globe's most interesting animals and fostering a connection to our natural world - which is exactly what Georgia Aquarium aims to do every day," said Jessica Fontana, director of communications at Georgia Aquarium. "Animal Planet is the perfect home for this new, aquarium-focused series because we share the same mission to inspire and educate about not just aquatic animals, but the environments they inhabit. We are so proud to be a part of this series and cannot wait to show all of the hard work and dedication that goes not only into caring for thousands of animals, but also the animals in the ocean that desperately need our help."

Georgia Aquarium and its dedicated teams are at the forefront of the science and conservation efforts for aquatic animals around the world. The aquarium and its animals have become important ambassadors for global conservation efforts by providing scientific expertise needed to address the severe issues facing our oceans and aquatic animals across the globe.