The third season of Animal Planet’s hit television series Whale Wars launches on Friday, June 4^th at 9 PM in the U.S., then airs multiple times over the following week. Check your listings for times.

The new season of Whale Wars follows Sea Shepherd's 6^th Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign, named Operation Waltzing Matilda in honor of Australia’s unofficial national anthem, on the three-month journey to the South Ocean Whale Sanctuary to stop illegal whaling. As in previous campaigns, the conflict between Sea Shepherd and the whalers grows more intense with each engagement – and Animal Planet documents the action in the new 12-part series.

“The issues surrounding whaling in the Southern Ocean are important and complex, and Whale Wars returns once again to capture them in all their intensity,” says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. “The majesty of these beautiful creatures and the lengths to which the Sea Shepherds will go in order to prevent whaling has made Whale Warsentertaining yet vital television.  The series has become a trademark for the new Animal Planet, and audiences now expect to kick off summer television viewing with its return.”

Sea Shepherd Founder and President Captain Paul Watson said, “Ships are expendable, endangered and protected whales are not. We lost a ship and we have one crewmember taken prisoner, and no injuries were caused nor sustained. I think we did bloody well this year and 528 whales were saved. We won’t stop until whaling ends.”

Whale Wars documents the ongoing battles in the icy Antarctic waters in each adrenaline-fueled season, now entering its third. Highlighting illegal whaling operations and the tactics that Sea Shepherd deploys to attempt to cripple it, the series documents the group's three-month expedition across the Antarctic's remote and vast waters. Whale Wars follows a highly-charged confrontation at the far end of the globe as both Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers engage in an environmental showdown with millions of dollars at stake.

Whale Wars premiers in the United States on Friday, June 4^th at 9 PM ET/PT on Animal Planet, then repeats multiple times over the following days.  Check your local listings for times.

The show premiers in Canada on June 9^th at 9 PM ET/10 PM PST, also on Animal Planet.  (check local listings)

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