While it seems like a perfectly charming channel, I don’t normally make a habit of watching Animal Planet.  It does have the must-see annual Puppy Bowl and it does feature those heart-breaking Pet 911 shows with the one-eyed kitty who has a kidney infection. I don’t even like cats, but those emergency vet shows have me curled in a ball on the couch, negotiating with God for the life of the animal.

But I’m not here to talk about cats.  Or even animals at all.

It’s come to my attention that Animal Planet has enlisted the help of a few preposterously hot hosts, namely Night’s Brandon McMillan and Into the Pride’s Dave Salmoni. It’s enough for me to immediately flip to Animal Planet while I’m on the treadmill at the gym, just so I can ogle them while feeling shitty about my own physique (all the while learning facts about animals!).

First, let’s address the issue of Brandon McMillan (right), who I only ever heard of yesterday. What you need to know about Brandon is the following: he’s an animal trainer from a family of animal entertainers and he hosts a night safari show. You can tell he’s hot even when he’s shot through the grainy, green night vision goggles. Of course, he’s a little douchey (think Jeff Corwin) when it comes to amping up the drama and being a ham. Such sins are easily forgiven.

Check him out in action here, encountering a baby hippo and her protective mother.

Now there’s the issue of Dave Salmoni, who hosts the show Into the Pride (and, much to my chagrin, the usage of the word ‘pride’ has nothing to do with floats, beads and drag queens). Dave embedded himself into a pride of lions for six month during the production of his show Into the Pride. While I’m a fan of the beard in general, he grew himself a monster of a one during the production — which sort of diminishes his Canadian hotness.

Here’s an interview with Dave done by the wonderful Michelle from Best Week Ever. She fully admits that it’s hard to pay attention to the adorable lion cub when you’ve got Scruffy McForearms charming his way into your heart.

After the jump, enjoy a gratuitous/unnecessary clip of a beardy Salmoni taking an open air shower with the pride.