Discovery Press Web United States

• Print

Last year, Animal Planet introduced viewers to South African chimpanzee rescuer Eugene Cussons - defender, champion and guardian to abused, neglected and exploited chimps throughout remote and war-torn African regions. This year, Cussons returns to the small screen to film his rescue missions and introduce chimps who are taking their first steps within Chimp Eden. While integrating the "newbies," Cussons picks up where we left off with crucial "character" storylines from last year's season.

In the sophomore season of ESCAPE TO CHIMP EDEN, which debuts Friday, April 3, Cussons - the James Bond of the chimp world - creates a natural atmosphere for new chimps who need homes and experiences similar to life in the wild. Cameras follow Cussons as he travels to Angola and Sudan to liberate chimps locked within crates, tethered by a chain and inappropriately and dangerously raised as human children. Reacting to a calling that originated deep within his core, Cussons is hard wired to do anything and everything to deliver these primates from the threats of abuse, neglect and ultimately extinction. Repeatedly putting his own life on the line, Cussons won't stop until the chimps - one by one - make their ESCAPE TO CHIMP EDEN.

"Call it fate, call it divine intervention, but I felt drawn to the cause from the first time I heard the problems chimps were facing universally throughout Africa," says Cussons. "We have chimps that have been rescued at different stages - some directly from the hunter, some from bush-meat markets and many from just really neglectful situations."

Every day, Eugene moves closer to his ultimate goal - returning the strongest and most skilled chimps back to the rainforest where they belong.

Yet, even in the first hour of season two, Eugene experiences setbacks as tragically a chimp dies. "I always knew that we were going to lose a chimp at some point, but it was the most unlikely chimp to die," says Cussons describing sorrow and shock after one chimp passed away during the filming of season two. "When a tragedy like this occurs, it shakes up everything and everyone at the sanctuary - the staff, the chimps, the mood - everything. But life at Chimp Eden must go on, and we must continue to push ourselves beyond our potential to save these chimps and one day return them to the wild."

When Cussons is not on dangerous rescue missions, cameras film within the sanctuary as he works with the animals to gain their trust, integrate them with other chimps and teach techniques for survival in the wild. Chimps who once subsisted on table scraps and garbage now feast on wild figs, crack nutshells with rocks and pick through tall grass for the ripest shoots. Chimps who spent years alone and isolated in cramped cages now thrive in solid and stable family groups. Chimps who never before climbed a tree now swing effortlessly from branch to branch, high above the ground.

This season of ESCAPE TO EDEN builds on the real-life drama from last season as we meet new residents like Lily, Martha and Charles and catch up on the progress of the already infamous Jao, Cozi, Josephine, Sampa and Tony. In this mission-fueled series that underscores the deep connection humans have to our closest animal relatives, Animal Planet promises moments of excitement, emotion, inspiration and hope as Cussons moves closer and closer to his vision - when chimps are free from human endangerment and can live wild on their own.

For more information on chimpanzees and ESCAPE TO CHIMP EDEN, visit www.animalplanet.com.

ESCAPE TO CHIMP EDEN is produced for Animal Planet by Creative Differences and Triosphere. Phil Fairclough, Dave Harding and Erik Nelson are executive producers for Creative Differences. Oloff Bergh and Anton Truesdale are executive producers for Triosphere. Jason Carey is executive producer for Animal Planet.

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.