'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom' host talks about filming here, panthers

Peter Gros is living out his dream, and part of that dream involves exploring the lives and environments of Florida Panthers.

Gros will be featured on a Naples-based episode that focuses on panther habitat and conservation.

"Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" debuted on NBC in 1963 and ran through 1988. It was broadcast decades before Discovery Channel, Animal Planet or Nat Geo TV.

Gros joined the set in 1985 and hosted "Mutual of Omaha's Spirit of Adventure Series."

He visited the Naples area in February of 2022 to film that episode, which can be seen by clicking here.

There have been various iterations of Mutual of Omaha over the decades featured on different TV and online channels.

This, a revamp of the classic, will be a 10-episode season focused on wildlife success stories.

We caught up with Gros on the phone recently, and here's what he had to say:

The Everglades is its own type of attraction, he says

We’re producing great new shows and the storylines are working out well, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how things are going.

We’ve got great content and great stories to tell.

I think most people think of Florida as beaches and restaurants and theme parks but the Everglades, paddling around and wading, it’s pristine and it’s beautiful.

A chance to clear up misunderstandings

I grew up watching Marlon Perkins on the show talking about conservation issues then and it was a Sunday afternoon staple, and he’s part of the reason this became my career path. It was on NBC then and now we’re back on NBC and have come full circle.

I think first of all people should realize there is so much messaging out there about the doom and gloom of our planet, but I member Marlon Perkins talking about bald eagles and how they were threatened. But now they’re off the Endangered Species List, and we’re doing well. Now we have apparent problems, but in the past we’ve been able to solve problems. Our planet is resilient, but we need to change our practices in some ways.

Over the years there have been a lot of misunderstandings about how dangerous wild animals are and I like to replace fear with knowledge.

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Work with Florida panther not finished

Panthers are the most elusive cat, and they want nothing to do with people.

Their numbers were in the 20s and now there are over 200, and we’ve made such progress.

But the problem is not solved and we have to keep going forward to save more habitat and to connect more habitat. When it’s connected continuously, they can migrate and translocate the way the used to.

I think the most important message is we’re continuing the legacy and that our show is educational. When you’re putting yourself in situations in wild locations there are some adventures.

Early on we should introduce our friends and families to spending times in backyard, local parks and then move on to state and national parks to increase the time you get to spend in nature.

Connect with this reporter: Chad Gillis on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom' host talks about panthers, stories