FORM 3

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person *   HARBERT MANAGEMENT CORP 2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year) 12/05/2007 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol CENTRAL GARDEN & PET CO [CENT] (Last) (First) (Middle) ONE RIVERCHASE PARKWAY SOUTH,  4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director __X__ 10% Owner _____ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) 5. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) (Street) BIRMINGHAM, AL 35244 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) ___ Form filed by One Reporting Person _X_ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 4) 2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4) 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Common Stock 2,200,000 (1) (2) I By Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund I, ltd. Common Stock 1,100,000 (3) I By Harbinger Capital Partners Special Situations Fund, L.P.

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.			SEC 1473 (7-02)
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Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4)	2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4)		4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	5. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5)	6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)
	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
HARBERT MANAGEMENT CORP ONE RIVERCHASE PARKWAY SOUTH BIRMINGHAM, AL 35244	Â	  X	Â	Â
FALCONE PHILIP 555 MADISON AVE 16TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10022	Â	  X	Â	Â
HARBERT RAYMOND J ONE RIVERCHASE PARKWAY SOUTH BIRMINGHAM, AL 35244	Â	  X	Â	Â
LUCE MICHAEL D ONE RIVERCHASE PARKWAY SOUTH BIRMINGHAM, AL 35244	Â	  X	Â	Â

Signatures

Harbert Management Corporation, By: /s/ William R. Lucas, Jr.		12/17/2007
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date
/s/ Philip Falcone		12/17/2007
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date
/s/ Raymond J. Harbert		12/17/2007
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date
/s/ Michael D. Luce		12/17/2007
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	These securities are owned by Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund I, Ltd. (the "Master Fund").
(2)	These securities may be deemed to be beneficially owned by Harbinger Capital Partners Offshore Manager, L.L.C. ("Harbinger Management"), the investment manager of the Master Fund, HMC Investors, L.L.C., its managing member ("HMC Investors"), Harbert Management Corporation ("HMC"), the managing member of HMC Investors, Philip Falcone, a shareholder of HMC and the portfolio manager of the Master Fund, Raymond J. Harbert, a shareholder of HMC, and Michael D. Luce, a shareholder of HMC. Each such Reporting Person disclaims beneficial ownership of the reported securities except to the extent of his or its pecuniary interest therein, and this report shall not be deemed an admission that such Reporting Person is the beneficial owner of the securities for purposes of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or for any other purpose.
(3)	These securities are owned by Harbinger Capital Partners Special Situations Fund, L.P. (the "Special Situations Fund"). These securities may be deemed to be beneficially owned by HMC, Philip Falcone, Raymond J. Harbert and Michael Luce. HMC wholly owns the managing member of the Special Situations Fund's general partner. Philip Falcone is the portfolio manager of the Special Situations Fund and is a shareholder of HMC. Raymond J. Harbert and Michael D. Luce are shareholders of HMC. Each such Reporting Person disclaims beneficial ownership of the reported securities except to the extent of his or its pecuniary interest therein, and this report shall not be deemed an admission that such Reporting Person is the beneficial owner of the securities for purposes of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or for any other purpose.

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