Discovery Press Web United States

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(New York, NY, September 2, 2009) - Officer Brandon Parker, bitten by a deadly eastern diamondback rattlesnake, kept himself alive by screaming out his daughter's name.  "This is not going to happen like this, to me, today," said Parker as he recalled his thoughts from the attack. "I have a daughter to raise and a wife to come home to."  Kasey Edward, his arm torn away by an alligator, found such will to survive that he swam with only one arm to safety with his friends.  Mike Makens' father risked his own safety to bring his son the only anti-venom that could save him from a black widow spider bite.

Animal Planet's new weekly series I'M ALIVE features the death-defying and moving stories of people who-regardless of the obstacles or consequences-were determined to survive an animal attack.  In one moment, a chance encounter with an animal can take your life away, but these victims decided to take life back.

Starting Friday, October 9, 2009, at 9 PM (ET/PT), I'M ALIVE showcases the conviction necessary to survive when man meets nature.  Driven by thoughts of loved ones and the desire to live, these individuals found the strength to survive terrifying and unexpected attacks by some of nature's most dangerous creatures.  This inspirational drama of near-fatal attacks combines victim interviews with true-to-life reenactments, giving a replay of the split-second decisions that saved lives. Over the course of 10 episodes, I'M ALIVE immerses viewers in the psychological experience of those involved, focusing on what pulled them through and what left them powerfully changed.  All the survivors had something to live for, and in that fleeting moment of chaos, their desire for life outshone the attack.

"We are usually quite sentimental when we think of the power of animals to affect our lives. But sometimes the most brutal encounters in the natural world can be the most powerful catalyst for change," explains Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet.  "Certainly none of us wants to face down death.  But every person in I'M ALIVE is changed for the better. Incredibly, they have no lingering animosity towards the creatures that almost killed them, and they have discovered things about themselves and within themselves that they didn't know before.  Terrifying encounters with animals changed their lives forever but, in most cases, left them more fully alive than they had felt before."

I'M ALIVE spans the globe from the beautiful waters of the Bahamas to the bush of South Africa, embracing what is truly special and heroic about each victim and explaining the circumstances surrounding his/her unexpected encounters with creatures that range from a small venomous spider to a four-ton elephant.  Regardless of size, however, an animal can't match the tenacity and will of a person who is determined to live.

I'M ALIVE is produced for Animal Planet by Gurney Productions. Deirdre Gurney is the executive producer for Gurney, and Lisa Lucas is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Marc Etkind is the development executive 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; PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos and includes web service PetVideo.com; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.

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