MOULTRIE — The Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet is coming to Reed Bingham State Park this Saturday, Sept. 20, where it will be filming the release of baby gopher tortoises.

Park Manager Chet Powell said they were really excited about the television show visiting the park to film the event. He said he was told that the program would air during next season.

The Gopher Tortoise Management project started out about six years ago and has turned into a nationally recognized wildlife project, said Powell. It involves three universities, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Forestry Commission and the United States Department of Agriculture, not to mention more than 40 volunteers. As media coverage increased awareness, Powell said, people wanted to help with the project and soon these volunteers were being trained and supervised. This project is just one of several ways that the park is trying to protect and reclaim its natural sources, Powell said.

The release initially was planned for Oct. 11 but Powell said a portion of the babies will be released this Saturday so they can make their debut on Animal Planet.

“We always get a huge crowd for their release,” he said.

This year will be a little different, however, because the babies will be released with a microchip implant so that they can be tracked. This new component of the project is being done in partnership with Mitch Lockart, professor of Biology at Valdosta State University.

“This has never been done in gopher tortoises before,” said Powell.

Visitors to the park, on Saturday, can be a part of the audience for the gopher tortoise release, said Powell. More details as to the times of the releases on Saturday will be published in The Moultrie Observer later in the week or individuals interested may call Reed Bingham State Park at 896-3551. Anyone interested in volunteering with the Gopher Tortoise Management project may contact Chet Powell at the park, as well.