It always amazes me how much critics and social commentators have constantly disparaged television programming right from the start. Most of them have taken a dim view of the medium based on low brow programming, commercial greed, and being a passive medium where the viewer merely absorbs the output. While these things are true, there is (and always has been) a considerable amount of tv fare that is both entertaining and educational/informative.
One of these series from tv’s earlier age is Mutual Of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Prior to the 2002 reboot, the original long-running series about nature and wildlife began in 1963 and ran through 1988. Although the Discovery Channel, PBS, and National Geographic among other sources offer much on this topic, Mutual Of Omaha was the trailblazer. All of this began with the Mutual Of Omaha Company originally sponsoring an early animal show called Zoo Parade beginning in 1950. This show was hosted by Marlin Perkins from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
After Zoo Parade concluded in 1957, Mutual Of Omaha wanted to sponsor a more ambitious, further-reaching documentary wildlife series. Apparently, this was agreeable with their mission statement regarding nature conservation. This vision meshed well with Perkins who was a zoologist and was eager to expand nature programming beyond the zoo’s confines. Mutual Of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom launched on NBC in 1963 — and as they say, the rest is history! I’m very glad to have rediscovered the show recently on MeTv. It had been too many years since I’d last seen it as a kid in the 70s.
Many of the episodes were already in syndication when I was first watching them on NBC, Sunday nights. In fact, it was one of the few programs my parents considered suitable for family viewing along with a few others like The Wonderful World Of Disney or Little House On The Prairie. Although these are good memories from long ago, naturally I can’t remember everything from back then. While snuggled up with mugs of hot tea last Sunday morning, it felt like a nostalgia drug when I binge-watched six episodes in a row — like they were all new! So far, my favorite episode is “Leopards Of Sawai Madhopur”.
This episode fascinates me most because a family of leopards was living within the walls of the ancient Ranthambore Fort (which is part of the same-named National Park in India). It amazed me that these animals were living in such close proximity to humans. Leopards are overwhelmingly found in the wild — and typically want to be far away from people! Although the episode shows humans living close by, with a farmer plowing a field right beneath the fort, apparently the structure itself was left entirely to the leopards! I found it amazing that the mother leopard felt comfortable enough to raise her cubs in that environment.
Then again, it made me think that animals are more adaptable to circumstances than we might realize. The fort itself seems timeless, a great rambling, stone structure from the 10th century. This complex also features a Hindu temple which visitors can tour, so it seems the leopards might move to another part of the fort/national park if people get too close. All of this piqued my interest further, and after watching “Leopards Of Sawai Madhopur” I wanted to find out more backstory of the area. I read that the Ranthambore area is also home to tigers and plenty of other wildlife not seen in this episode. Another important thing I found out is that the fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
However, this did not occur until 2013, which was long after the Wild Kingdom filmed there. Presumably, though, this status would also offer some protection to the animals living there, not just the buildings. In any case, “Leopards Of Sawai Madhopur” is a must-see episode for anyone who loves wildlife programming, and this one is really exciting to see how the leopards handle dangerous encounters with hyenas, a porcupine, and a cobra!
To watch vintage episodes of Mutual Of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom like this one, checkout: https://www.metv.com and to view more current episodes go to: http://nbc.com to stream them.
