‘Wild Kingdom’ Inhabits a New Lair

If you’re old enough to remember nature TV programs before “The Crocodile Hunter” or if you’ve seen much stand-up comedy, chances are you recall “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.”

Every week on the original series, folksy host Marlin Perkins would somehow connect the perils of animals living in the wild with the need to purchase Mutual of Omaha insurance. Perkins would say something like: “Just as the lioness must protect her cubs from hyenas, you must protect your family from hidden dangers.”

In fact, comics loved poking fun at Perkins’ juxtapositions--Johnny Carson was exceptionally adept at mimicking Perkins on “The Tonight Show.”

On the serious side, “Wild Kingdom” was the television nature series for more than two decades. The series premiered in 1963 and continued on prime-time network television until 1971, when it was put into syndication. The series, which won 41 major awards, including four Emmys, finally left the airwaves after the 1985 season. Perkins left the show in 1985 and died in 1986. Jim Fowler, who had been Perkins’ co-host, moved up to host in the final season and was joined by zoologist and conservationist Peter Gros.

The cable network Animal Planet and the financial and insurance company have resurrected “Wild Kingdom” as a series of six wildlife documentaries. The new “Wild Kingdom” kicks off tonight with the premiere of “Lost Elephants of Timbuktu.” The hourlong film chronicles a “lost” herd of truly wild elephants living in the Southern fringe of the Sahara desert.

“Wild Kingdom” and Animal Planet are a perfect fit, says Michael Cascio, the outlet’s executive vice president and general manager. The original series, he says, was the Animal Planet of its day.

The new “Wild Kingdom” won’t feature any hosts, though Alec Baldwin narrates the first documentary, but will use state-of-the-art technology.

“In the case of the first episode, we use global positioning satellites to find these elephants; nobody knows where they go and nobody has tracked them before,” Cascio says.

On tap for October is “Great Cats of India,” which follows the country’s leading wildlife cameraman, Alphonse Roy, as he captures portraits of India’s four great cats. The November installment explores the world of the black mamba, the deadliest snake on the planet, and even attaches a minicam to the viper in order to give a reptile’s-eye view of the world.

The three remaining documentaries look at amphibians, marching sand dunes and research in developing antivenin for snakebites.

Both Fowler and Gros are advisors on the series; they read the scripts and talk with the filmmakers to make sure the programs are family-friendly.

Gros, who frequently takes his furry friends to visit Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show,” says that, unlike a lot of wildlife documentaries, “ ‘Wild Kingdom’ won’t show many survival-of-the-fittest scenes in which animals devour other animals.

“Our niche is family entertainment. We are still trying to educate people and get them hooked on nature.”

Since his days as co-host of the old show, Gros says that people--children in particular--are much savvier regarding animals and the environment.

“The downside is what we have done the last 25 or 30 years--and this is sort of a personal soapbox issue for me--is we have done such a good job talking about the gloom and doom that young people think it’s too late. We don’t tend to share enough information about the bald eagle, which came off the endangered species list. The numbers are up for the gray whales, and the buffalo are doing well. There are hundreds and hundreds of animals making a comeback; you just don’t hear about it.”

“Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Lost Elephants of Timbuktu” can be seen today at 8 p.m. on Animal Planet.