National Geographic Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day With Two World Premiere Specials: Born Wild: Earth Day Live and Jane Goodall: The Hope

• “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” — Dr. Jane Goodall
• National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO to Devote Entire Day to Earth Day with Catalog of Best Natural History Programming Along with Live Interstitials, PSAs and Featurettes Showcasing National Geographic Explorers Working Around the World to Protect and Celebrate Our Planet
• The All-Day Programming Event Is Part of a Joint Effort by National Geographic and The Walt Disney Company to Elevate Commitment to Protect and Celebrate Our Planet
• BORN WILD: EARTH DAY LIVE to Broadcast LIVE April 22, at 8/7c on Nat Geo and Nat Geo WILD from Around the World, Featuring National Geographic Explorers and Hosted by ABC News’ Robin Roberts
• The Next Chapter of Dr. Jane Goodall’s Life’s Work Unfolds In JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE, Premiering April 22, at 9/8c on Nat Geo, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO

PASADENA, Calif. & WASHINGTON, D.C.: In April 1970, millions of people around the world mobilized to demand protection of the planet we call home. That historic day gave birth to the modern environmental movement known as Earth Day, and 50 years later, it’s become the planet’s largest civic event with more than a billion people participating each year. But with the alarming, rapid progress of climate change and ecosystems changing like never seen before, Earth and humanity alike are facing a most dire situation, making this year’s call to action even greater.

This April 22 marks the milestone 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and National Geographic celebrates this massive cultural movement with two primetime global, emotionally evocative specials that raise awareness of our dynamic planet and its animal inhabitants and inspire stewardship for this generation and future ones to come.

Beginning at 8/7c, simulcast on National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD, prepare for cuteness overload from around the world when the one-hour LIVE broadcast event BORN WILD: EARTH DAY LIVE unfolds. Immediately afterward, at 9/8c on National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO, the two-hour documentary special JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE will take viewers through chapters of Goodall’s journey, highlighting ways in which she inspires future generations. Both programs will air globally in 172 countries and 43 languages.

BORN WILD: EARTH DAY LIVE and JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE are both part of a companywide Earth Day celebration being planned by National Geographic and The Walt Disney Company.

At National Geographic, the Earth Day celebration will harness the company’s full portfolio to make an impactful difference for the planet. These projects include full-day programming events on National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO with live interstitials, PSAs and featurettes showcasing National Geographic Explorers working around the world to protect and celebrate our planet; a dedicated issue of National Geographic magazine and National Geographic Kids magazine; and events and activations aimed at inspiring people to care deeply about the world and its wildlife and supporting Explorers who are fighting on the front lines for conservation every day. Our Explorers will also be featured in a multiplatform ABC special, Our Changing Weather, about the impact of extreme and changing weather in local communities on all of the ABC-owned TV stations in eight markets — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno. Additional details on the companywide effort will be announced shortly.

“The need to protect our planet has never been more urgent and we’re using Earth Day 50th as an opportunity to showcase the wonder of our planet and its incredible species to viewers around the world,” said Courteney Monroe, president, National Geographic Global Television Networks. “With the Earth Day takeover across all of our networks and platforms, we will be able to reach the largest audience possible to celebrate this momentous day and ensure viewers fall in love with our planet and act to protect it.”

National Geographic’s Earth Day celebration will also feature the very best of natural history programming, including recent feature documentaries such as JANE and Before the Flood and an array of Destination WILD natural history specials. The full programming schedule is below.

ABOUT BORN WILD: EARTH DAY LIVE

Produced along with ABC News, BORN WILD: EARTH DAY LIVE features National Geographic Explorers and leading ABC News anchors and correspondents who will take viewers on a journey into the most fascinating, breathtaking environments around the world to witness and celebrate the diversity and splendor of charismatic baby animals, their families and habitats. The dynamic special gives viewers a revealing look at Earth’s next generation of animals and their ecosystems, which face insurmountable environmental changes. Their existence and habitats are essential for a healthy planet.

The global live television event is hosted by “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts, who will be stationed at home base at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, the largest marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation hospital in the world. There, she will interact with seal and sea lion pups while talking with species experts about what is being done to save these animals.

Along with the unparalleled live telecast, BORN WILD: EARTH DAY LIVE will partner revered National Geographic Explorers with ABC News correspondents who immerse themselves within diverse geographic locations where both land and aquatic animals deserve special attention. Through prerecorded, cinematically sweeping segments that will be packaged into the hourlong live special, our cameras will spotlight epic stories of life on Earth and provide unprecedented access to the following:

Baby Humpback Whales in the Oceans of Maui — National Geographic Explorer and Photographer Brian Skerry, a marine wildlife expert, and ABC News’ Matt Gutman will follow a baby humpback whale and its mama, diving alongside the pair face-to-face, sharing their magical world and helping viewers fall in love with their precious ecosystem.
Lion Cubs in the Savannas of Kenya — Big cat experts, conservationists and National Geographic Explorers Dereck and Beverly Joubert and “Nightline” co-anchor Juju Chang will embark on a journey to find a specific pride of lions that the Jouberts have been following for years. The charismatic lion cubs are under the daily threat of poaching, which determines the course of all conservation in Africa.

Black Bear Cubs in the Forests of Minnesota — National Geographic Explorer, renowned bear researcher and wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and ABC News’ Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee will work with biologists to carefully extract newborn black bear cubs from their dens to gather critical measurements to help biologists ensure the animals’ health and safety leading into the spring.

Baby Orangutans in the Jungles of Sumatra — National Geographic Explorer and biologist Dr. Ian Singleton and ABC News’ Linsey Davis will meet infant orangutans as they prepare for life on their own, culminating in their emotional release back into the wild.

In addition to these segments, Roberts will be joined LIVE by Gutman, who will host from the majestic cliffs of Point Reyes, California, as he aids in a sea lion’s release back into the ocean. WABC-TV Weather Anchor Sam Champion will take the reins from Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, where he will feature baby animals from around the world, and Chang will join viewers live from Kenya at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, one of Africa’s oldest wildlife charities and a leading conservation organization, to feed an orphaned baby elephant a nighttime bottle. Please note, locations are subject to change.

ABOUT JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE

Continuing the widespread celebration of Earth Day, the two-hour documentary JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE immediately follows, premiering at 9/8c that same night on National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO. The sweeping documentary special highlights Dr. Goodall’s vast legacy of four decades transforming environmentalism, nonhuman animal welfare and conservation through her innovative approaches, becoming a worldwide icon. This special depicts the formation of the Jane Goodall Institute’s (JGI’s) “Tacare” community-centered conservation approach and Roots & Shoots youth empowerment program, her remarkable advocacy and leadership on behalf of chimpanzees and humanity, as well as the next chapter for generations to come. This singular story is of one remarkable woman who not only hoped for a better world — she achieved it!

“Being out in the forest of Gombe, I had a great sense of spiritual awareness; I began to realize that everything is interconnected,” says Goodall. “Since then, every day, it’s become clearer that climate change is an existential threat to our natural world, and if we destroy this world, we destroy our own future. Each day, every single person has the chance to make an impact through small, thoughtful choices, and when billions of people make the right choices, we start to transform the world. Don’t give up; there’s always a way forward.”

Picking up where National Geographic Documentary Films’ 2017 award-winning JANE left off, the two-hour special follows Goodall throughout her never-ending travels, capturing her relentless commitment and determination to spread a message of hope. The film offers an intimate perspective of Goodall’s pivotal transformation from scientist to inspirational activist and leader in holistic conservation through JGI, and the harrowing obstacles she has faced throughout her remarkable career. Featuring an extensive collection of photographs and footage that spans over seven decades, the documentary illustrates how her passion for wildlife and unshakable drive has persevered, making her one of the most important figures in wildlife conservation and galvanizing a future generation to create lasting change.

Expanding upon Goodall’s past and highlighting the ways in which she has changed the world, the film features His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, who has been a leader in conservation and global environmental issues, and presents exclusive interviews with James Baker, U.S. secretary of state who received the first JGI International Conservation Award for his work with chimpanzees; Dr. Richard Wrangham, a professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University who founded the Kibale Chimpanzee Project; Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health (NIH) who championed for the retirement of all government research chimpanzees from the NIH after speaking with Goodall; world-famous Dr. Robert Gallo, co-founder and director of The Institute of Human Virology who co-discovered HIV, the cause of AIDS, in 1984; and many more.

BORN WILD: EARTH DAY LIVE is produced in partnership with ABC News. John R. Green serves as executive producer and Ann Prum as co-executive producer for ABC. Morgan Zalkin serves as Executive Broadcast Producer. For National Geographic, Kevin Tao Mohs is executive producer. The live special will be directed by Liliana Olszewski.

JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE is produced by Lucky 8 for National Geographic, in partnership with Dr. Jane Goodall, scientific advisor and filmmaker Bill Wallauer and the staff of the Jane Goodall Institute. For Lucky 8, executive producers are Kim Woodard, Greg Henry, George Kralovansky and Isaac Holub. The special is produced and directed by Kim Woodard and Elizabeth Leiter. For National Geographic, executive producer is Tracy Rudolph Jackson, senior vice president of development and production is Janet Han Vissering, and executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment is Geoff Daniels.