In 1985, Peter Gros made a decision that would forever change his life — he joined Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom! Now, 40 years later, we’re proud to have Peter as a co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild.
“It doesn’t feel like 40. It’s gone by so quickly. The only thing that really sticks with me that does put time in perspective as I start to recall all the wonderful experiences I have, they start to add up. I realize I’ve been one very lucky host,” Peter said.
Let’s take a look back at some of Peter’s most incredible moments in his 40 years with Wild Kingdom.
Memories from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The moment that started it all! In 1985 Peter made an appearance on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to talk about caring for the world’s largest litter of tigers ever born. And who else was on the show that night? None other than Jim Fowler, co-host of Wild Kingdom. After meeting backstage, Jim later called Peter and offered him the opportunity of a lifetime — to co-host Wild Kingdom — as Marlin Perkins was retiring from the show.
Learn more about Peter’s path to Wild Kingdom.
Peter’s first episode
The first episode Peter filmed was “Operation Alligator” which took him and Jim to Louisiana. Peter had never worked with reptiles before, so Jim gave him a crash course on what to do while filming alligators at night.
“My first alligator I was about to catch, I leaned over to grab it in the water, just as Jim had done prior while catching one,” Peter said. “And he leaned over and pulled back my arm and said, ‘not that one! Its eyes are too far apart.’”
Peter learned that for every inch an alligator’s eyes are apart, that’s another foot long they are. Whereas Jim had caught a four-foot-long alligator, Peter was unknowingly going for a six-foot long one.
“If it weren’t for Jim right now, my nickname would be ‘Lefty!’” Peter said.
Watch “Operation Alligator.”
Diving with great white sharks
Though many people may exaggerate their experience a job interview to get the role, Peter’s exaggeration in his Wild Kingdom interview came back to haunt him. Peter had said he was an experienced scuba diver after only a pool lesson with a friend. Soon his expertise was put to the test when he was filming great white sharks off the coast of Australia.
“I looked over the stern nervously and I’m putting my scuba gear together and the head diver said, ‘Mr. Gros, how long have you been diving?’ And I said, ‘oh, well, I was just diving in California a few days ago, why do you ask.’ And he said, ‘well, you just put your regulator on your tank upside down. Tell me the truth,’” Peter said.
Luckily, Peter got a quick crash course from the head diver and was able to swim over to the great white shark cage just fine.
“As we were leaving, he said, ‘promise me, you’ll go back and get certified,’ which I did, and I’ve been diving ever since,” Peter said.
Watch “Great White Sharks of Dangerous Reef.”
Working with ‘Lil’
Though Peter mainly starred alongside Jim Fowler, occasionally he worked with other co-stars, such as Lil, the black labrador retriever who was a part of the episode, “On the Arctic Ice Pack” in Point Barrow, Alaska.
Lil helped researchers find ring seals, which in turn lead them to the polar bears they sought out.
“The last night we were there, we got caught in a whiteout in a canvas tent and it was just freezing,” Peter said. “And so we all sort of snuggled around Lil, all wrapped up until the storm blew through to stay warm.”
Learn more about how dogs have assisted in conservation over the years on Wild Kingdom.
Rafting the Zambezi
For the episode, “Elephants of Lake Kariba,” Peter and Jim rafted the Zambezi along the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Though it wasn’t Peter’s first time white water rafting, these were tough waters, exceeding Class 4 and Class 5 rapids.
The first day, the co-hosts followed their guides and got through the rapids just fine. However, on the next day, while filming, things didn’t go as planned.
“We hit a rock and the raft flips,” Peter said. “I get dumped in the river, held under and make my way back to shore. Our head guide casually turned to me and said, ‘Mr. Gros, you should get back to the shore faster next time because crocodiles lay along the edge waiting for food to come by,’” Peter said.
Luckily, the crew rafted the river many more times and everything went smoothly.
Watch “Elephants of Lake Kariba” to see Peter and Jim raft the Zambezi.
Protecting the Wild moments
When the original series wrapped, Peter continued to be actively involved with Wild Kingdom, making appearances on talk shows, teaching young people about wildlife and filming other shows, such as Mutual of Omaha’s Spirit of Adventure on ABC.
In 2023, Peter once again returned to TV full time as co-host of Wild Kingdom, this time in a new series, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, alongside new Co-Host Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. This series continues to bring memorable moments for the veteran wildlife expert.
Releasing animals back into the wild
One of the best parts of co-hosting Protecting the Wild is participating in an animal’s release back into the wild, especially one whose conservation he’s closely followed. In the first season, Peter traveled to Maine to release puffins and showcase a project Marlin Perkins worked on in the classic series.
“Knowing that Marlin Perkins had been involved, it’s always neat to follow in his footsteps in a sort of continuum of what he had started,” Peter said.
Watch “Puffin Island” to see the moment unfold.
Another animal Peter’s followed throughout the years is the California condor. In the episode, “Extinct in the Wild,” he was able to release one of these majestic birds.
“Having one in my arms and releasing it back to the wild, it’s just a thrill,” Peter said.
Swimming with whale sharks
Though he’s had many once-in-a-lifetime experiences while hosting Wild Kingdom, Peter still had one adventure to cross off his bucket list — swimming with whale sharks. And on Season 2 of Protecting the Wild, he was finally able to achieve his goal.
“The whale had its 4-foot mouth open and still feeding in a very leisurely manner in almost a slow motion and then turned toward me,” Peter said. “Its mouth was open but I just sort of laid there, barely moving and he went right by me and it was almost like watching a slow-motion train go by. His body just kept going and going. All these spots just passing me until his tail finally went by.”
“I had to register what I had just seen, how fortunate I was that I just shared his environment. It doesn’t get any better than that,” Peter said
Catch the moment on the Season 2 episode, “The Biggest Fish on Earth.”
Watch Season 3 of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild to see Peter create more memories in his wildlife TV career.
For more iconic stories, read about Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler’s top moments.
