“Animal ER Live” to air Saturday and Sundays at 9PM on Nat Geo WILD [Video]

Nat Geo WILD announced today that it has tapped Emmy Award-winning journalist Mark Steines (“Entertainment Tonight“; KTLA’s Rose Parade) as host of its ambitious Animal ER Live, a four-week, live event series from “Live PD” creators Big Fish Entertainment, an MGM Company. Animal ER Live airs Saturday and Sunday nights at 9PM ET/PT, for four weeks premiering Saturday, March 30.

Based out of a studio in New York City, Steines will be joined by veterinary experts Dr. Justine Lee and Dr. Will Draper as they guide viewers through the night, giving commentary on what audiences are seeing in real time as cameras bounce to and from the featured animal hospitals and mobile vet emergency units in Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; Charleston, South Carolina; Plainfield, Illinois; Kanab, Utah; Fort Bragg, California; and Waller, Texas.

Capturing the fast-paced drama and intensity of a hospital procedural mixed with the unbreakable bonds between pets and their owners, each episode of Animal ER Live will trail teams of emergency veterinarians and specialists as they work tirelessly through the night to save the lives of our pets from coast to coast, giving viewers insight into the extraordinary and unpredictable world of urgent animal care. The series will also follow a wide range of touching cases in emergency rooms and waiting rooms, and accompany on-call vets to homes and farms to treat animals that are too sick or too big to travel.

Animal ER Live will feature animal emergency rooms and mobile clinics from around the country, including:

· Angell Animal Medical Center – Boston, Massachusetts

· DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital – Portland, Oregon

· Animal Care Center EMERGENCY – Plainfield, Illinois

· Best Friends Animal Society – Kanab, Utah

· Mendocino Equine and Livestock – Fort Bragg, California

· Waller Equine Hospital – Waller, Texas

· Veterinary Specialty Care – Charleston, South Carolina

“I’m thrilled to partner with Nat Geo WILD and Big Fish Entertainment on this exciting new series that highlights the amazing work of those who have dedicated their lives to helping animals,” said Steines. “As an animal lover and advocate myself, I’m looking forward to showcasing the realities, drama and heartwarming moments these urgent care teams face on a daily basis as they work tirelessly to save the lives of animals in need.”

Animal ER Live joins a stable of family-friendly veterinary programs featured on Nat Geo WILD, including Secrets of the Zoo, Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER, Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet and the network’s No. 1 series, The Incredible Dr. Pol.

“Nat Geo WILD always celebrates animals and the people who love them, and now, we’re taking that further by going LIVE with the compassionate animal caregivers who help our beloved pets when they need us the most,” said Geoff Daniels, executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment. “Animal ER Live pulls back the curtain to give viewers an exclusive, totally unscripted look at the incredible skill and hard work that goes on behind the doors of some of the country’s busiest urgent pet care clinics. This innovative new series promises endless inspiration and heartwarming and heroic moments that reinforce the amazing bonds we share with our pets.”

Animal ER Live is produced by Big Fish Entertainment, an MGM Company, for Nat Geo WILD. For Big Fish Entertainment, executive producers are Dan Cesareo, Lucilla D’Agostino, Meghan Spielberg and Richard Hall. For Nat Geo WILD, executive producer is Tracy Rudolph, SVP of natural history programming and development is Janet Han Vissering and executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment is Geoff Daniels.