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Marlin Perkins had no idea his love of animals would turn him into a television star
"I was doing this just to promote the zoo," said Perkins.
For years, Marlin Perkins was able to see the majesty of nature closer than many people would dream of.
The zoologist served as director of the Lincoln Park Zoo before hosting Zoo Parade, a television series that broadcast for seven years. Afterward, Perkins became the host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Throughout all of these endeavors, Perkins' primary focus was to educate others on animals and the places they inhabited.
But after so many years pursuing conservation, Perkins cast a rather cynical eye at those who actively destroyed the world he was trying to protect.
"It's very discouraging," Perkins said during an interview with the Knight News Service. "The only thing we can do, as we have been doing on Wild Kingdom, is tell people about it and make them aware, and ask them to join conservation organizations and help with their dollars to counteract many of the bad practices that are going on. Everybody has to do what he can."
While Perkins served as the face for many animal programs, he maintained throughout his career that he had little to no interest in a Hollywood lifestyle. In fact, the zoologist maintained that initially, he had no desire to enter the entertainment industry.
"I was doing this just to promote the zoo," said Perkins. "They'd let me get on with my animals and talk until I ran out of steam. I never had any idea it would become the thing it developed into."
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