When Brian Eley, a seasoned television PR pro, decided to make the jump from The Learning Channel to Animal Planet, he knew the job might throw him in the middle of the jungle - just not on the first day.

Starting on September 5, 2006 - the day after network star Steve Irwin died - Eley, the director of communications, jumped right in, fielding several media calls to coordinate interviews with Animal Planet personality Jeff Corwin for comment on the ...