Louisiana Law Premieres on Animal Planet

A new reality series from Animal Planet called “Louisiana Law” explores the daily lives of the men and women of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries as they enforce the law and protect the natural resources of the state, according to this feature in the Acadiana Advocate.

The show, which premiered in early May 2021, is titled “Louisiana Law,” and it follows the narrative tradition of other shows on the network, namely “Lone Star Law” and “North Woods Law;” though it does so with a cajun approach. The series shot across the state over the past year with locations ranging from the Northern Louisiana-Arkansas border to the Gulf Coast, as the jurisdiction of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) ranges 200 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.

The head of the Law Enforcement Division of the LDWF, Col. Chad Hebert, said of the show, “we are super excited to show the world what we do as wildlife agents day in and day out for the state of Louisiana. We are proud of the show and the jobs our agents do to help conserve the wildlife resources for this Sportsman’s Paradise for generations to come. The show will also highlight the many other facets of what it takes to be a wildlife agent for the state.”

The show follows pairs of LDWF agents from the state’s major regions, including Thibodeaux, Lake Charles, Minden, and New Orleans regions in just the first episode of the series. The 41-minute pilot, titled “Monster Crabber” premiered on Sunday, May 9, 2021, and it followed LDWF agents as they patrolled bayous for a crab fisherman accused of stealing dozens of crab traps, tracked down a hunter who crosses state lines with an illegal deer, and saw the agents rescue an injured bald eagle. The TV-14 premiere was generally well-received by both critics and viewers and was talked about on social media with viewers using the hashtag #LouisianaLaw to converse.

For many Louisiana residents, the day-to-day lives of LDWF agents are unknown with many being unaware of the fact that these men and women are on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Agents hold the authority to enforce state and federal criminal laws in addition to all fish and wildlife laws, and as Louisiana’s diverse geography is often known by its nickname as the “Sportsman’s Paradise,” there’s plenty of action to catch when enforcing the latter.

The state of Louisiana is home to over one million alligators, shrimp, crawfish, oysters, black bear, bobcats, deer, over 150 bird species, and an abundance of salt and freshwater fish, all of which are to be protected to the full extent of the law by the LDWF agents. The show tracks the patrol of these agents along with Louisiana’s thick pine forests, humid marshlands, moss-laden swamps, expansive river deltas, and breathtaking bayous as they aim to keep law and order, often alone and miles from backup.

Jack Montoucet, a secretary with the LDWF hoped that viewers would be able to not only be entertained by the program but also educated in saying, “this show is a window into the day-to-day experiences of our dedicated and professional wildlife agents. I am happy and proud that the public will get to see the decisions these men and women have to make daily to maintain our Sportsman’s Paradise.”

“Louisiana Law” is produced for Animal Planet by Warm Springs Productions in Association with Watson Pond Productions, and it can be found on Sunday evenings at 8 pm throughout May 2021 on Animal Planet.

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