Dave Salmoni Walks INTO THE PRIDE to Save Magnificent Lions Marked for Death

- Salmoni’s Quest to Rescue Last-chance Lions Premieres August 13 on Animal Planet -

SILVER SPRING, Md., July 1 /PRNewswire/ — Animal Planet’s large predator expert Dave Salmoni embarks on the most transformative mission of his life — and also the most relevant one. Leaving the city life of Toronto, Salmoni heads deep into the Namibian bush to spend six months — ALONE — among a pride of lions and the diverse and often deadly wildlife in Africa. His mission is twofold — to return to his wild roots and to head INTO THE PRIDE to save a rogue pride of lions from elimination.

After spending much time in the “urban jungle” as a host and executive producer, Salmoni is given the ultimate opportunity to reconnect with two of his lasting passions — the serenity and solitude of living in the wild and his love of big cats, particularly lions.

Premiering Thursday, August 13, at 8 PM as a five-part series, INTO THE PRIDE takes viewers along with Salmoni on a tenuous journey — accompanied by a camera crew by day and completely alone once darkness falls. Setting up camp deep within Namibia’s Erindi Private Game Reserve, Salmoni spends each solitary night while African game roam through his campground. He awakes early each and every morning determined to get closer and closer to the lions he’s trying to save.

INTO THE PRIDE extends far beyond Salmoni’s personal journey. As their last chance for survival, Salmoni must help a pride of “problem lions” learn to accept humans and support the growing eco-tourism in the area. These cats, transplanted from the largest national park in Namibia, are known for cattle raiding and aggression toward humans; if they don’t calm down, they will be destroyed. Salmoni’s challenge is immediate; he’ll need to get as close to the lions as possible — dangerously close. INTO THE PRIDE follows Salmoni as he heads straight into the fray to ingratiate himself among the lions and become the first human they can trust. It’s an emotional journey told through Salmoni’s compelling personal narrative as he attempts to forge a relationship with every lion, from Brutus, the dominant male, to Rough and Tumble, the youngest cubs.

INTO THE PRIDE is just as much about the man as it is about the beasts that he encounters. The series tests all of Salmoni’s experience and knowledge as a zoologist and large predator expert as he risks everything — including his life and the safety of his TV crew. The experience will change him every bit as much as it changes the lions. Watch to see if the two species can harmoniously share the land they both depend on for survival.

Additional INTO THE PRIDE information and special features are available on the Animal Planet at http://animal.discovery.com/tv/dave-salmoni/dave-salmoni.html. Salmoni’s Twitter site is http://twitter.com/davesalmoni.

INTO THE PRIDE is produced for Animal Planet by Triosphere and Discovery Studios. Oloff Bergh and Anton Truesdale are executive producers for Triosphere, and Eugenie Vink and Phil Fairclough are executive producers for Discovery Studios. Executive Producer for Animal Planet is Jason Carey. Charlie Foley is vice president of development for Animal Planet.

INTO THE PRIDE premieres with double-stacked episodes on Thursday, August 13, at 8 PM and 9 PM et/pt. The remaining three episodes air on consecutive Thursdays at 8 PM.

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 95 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.

SOURCE Animal Planet