• Variety, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:54 PM

Animal Planet is launching a quarterly series of investigative documentaries, beginning with a January special on dog fighting. The decision is based on the success it had last year with "Animal Witness: The Michael Vick Case," its most-watched telecast of the year among adults 25-54.

Animal Planet president Marjorie Kaplan says, "We looked at that and the success of the documentary 'Whale Wars,' and were moved the passion our audience has for these kind of things. We decided to curate a series of specials."

First up, "Dogfighting: An Animal Investigates Special," in January. Future editions will look at issues such as animal testing, the exotic pet trade, gang dogs, cloning and slaughterhouses. "We're comfortable with controversy. We want to be in the conversation. It's the controversy that makes these stories interesting," Kaplan says.

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