New series from the star of 'The Cove' premieres August 27

(AFP PHOTO/Ishara S. KODIKARA)

The man at the center of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove continues in his efforts to draw attention to the plight of dolphins with a new series due to premiere on Animal Planet on August 27.

Nature documentary The Cove focuses on Ric O'Barry's efforts to expose the secretive and cruel massacre of dolphins off the coast of Japan in the annual Japanese fishermen's dolphin hunt.

Since the release of The Cove, Ric O'Barry has teamed up with his son Lincoln O'Barry to film a new series entitled Blood Dolphins; the series, due to be released on Animal Planet, follows on from where The Cove left off - with a return to Taiji in Japan and a continued effort to stop the slaughter of dolphins in the area.

The Cove attracted controversy upon its attempted release in Japan; several proposed screenings were canceled following safety concerns after threats were made.

Animal Planet is an American satellite and cable TV channel, Sky subscribers in Europe can watch Animal Planet through the Discovery channel.

Animal Planet also features Whale Wars, a series following the captain of the Sea Shepherd as the vessel engages in direct action with ships suspected of carrying out illegal whaling activities. Documentary End of the line, which premiered at the Sundance festival in 2009, was one of the first feature documentaries to deal with the impact of overfishing, the End of the line DVD is now available.

Short clips of the upcoming series are also available to watch online at http://animal.discovery.com/tv/blood-dolphins/