The Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild crew is always on the go! Check out where Co-Hosts Peter Gros and Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant have traveled to and get a glimpse into the amazing animal stories coming soon to television.
New Protecting the Wild episode filming locations
Pandas in San Diego
Giant pandas have returned to U.S. zoos and our co-hosts were there to witness their great return. They headed to the San Diego Zoo to learn about the panda’s diet and the China-U.S. cooperative breeding program.
“Having giant pandas at American zoos has been a tremendous privilege for several decades,” Dr. Rae said. “It has required international diplomacy, scientific rigor and the hard work of many teams of people, both in China and the U.S.”
Dr. Rae and Peter went behind the scenes to see the panda food prepared. Zookeepers prep bamboo and special supplements baked into “panda bread,” to ensure a complete diet.
“To be within 30 feet of one of nature’s most beautiful animals watching it comfortably chew on tender bamboo shoots was an event I shall not forget,” Peter said.
Read more about the giant panda’s return to the U.S.
Bighorn sheep in California
Did you know bighorn sheep can fly?
Well … sort of. Bighorn sheep live at high altitudes in the Sierra Nevada mountains and need to be brought to lower elevations so biologists can perform checkups. The best way to make this happen? Making sheep fly!
Helicopter crews place nets over the sheep and take them on a short flight to a lower elevation. Once there, a medical exam is performed and then the sheep are returned back to their higher elevation.
“Peter and I got to participate in this process, and it was one of the most exciting experiences of my life,” Dr. Rae said.
Helicopters are also used to help supplement bighorn sheep’s water supply during drought. Helicopters lower water tanks on high, rocky desert terrain. The tanks then collect water during the rainy season and gravity feeds the water into drinking slots for the sheep to reach.
“I was so impressed to see all the volunteers, biologists, state and federal agencies all working together for the common cause of saving this magnificent species of wildlife in the harsh environments of the California desert,” Peter said.
Horned lizards in Texas
What do you call a Texas horned lizard that takes a 30-year nap? Ol’ Rip, short for Rip Van Winkle.
True story — in Eastland, Texas, a horned lizard laid dormant in a time capsule placed in the cornerstone of city hall for 30 years.
“When the building had to be replaced, the time capsule was opened,” Peter said. “At that time, Rip appeared to move, suggesting he had hibernated for all those years. Seemingly impossible but enough of a story to make the town of Eastland, Texas, have a celebration every year to honor Ol’ Rip.”
Each year, Eastland puts on a festival, honoring the legend of Ol’ Rip and the native lizard. Once abundant in the Lone Star state, horned lizard numbers have drastically decreased due to land development, drought and prey. Thanks to several Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoos and volunteer associations, this lizard is being bred in captivity and released back to its natural Texas habitat under the watchful eyes of biologists, landowners and many Texas horned lizard enthusiasts.
Spider monkeys and flamingos in Mexico
Being a Protecting the Wild co-host is hard work. Just ask Peter and Dr. Rae who traveled to Mexico in the middle of winter! All jokes aside, the co-hosts were there for an important episode on native Mexican animals, spider monkeys and flamingos.
First, they headed to a salt mine on the Yucatan peninsula to see flamingos feeding in the salt mine’s pools. The co-hosts watched as the birds were collected to be fit with a small tracking device before being released back into the wild.
“Flamingos are migratory and spend different amounts of time in different wetlands in the Americas,” Dr. Rae said. “Believe it or not, there is lots of information about where flamingos go that scientists are just beginning to learn!”
They then learned about spider monkeys from local primatologists. Peter and Dr. Rae visited a convenience store to learn why feeding monkeys with human food is dangerous to these primates. They then traveled to Punta Laguna Nature Reserve to see spider monkeys in a protected area.
“There groups of spider monkeys traveled over our heads in the canopy of the jungle brachiating from tree to tree,” Peter said. “Some mothers had their young hanging on tightly. I couldn’t help but think of the history of the Mayan culture as I walked through the jungle surrounded by the beauty of the fauna and flora.”
Discover how Association of Zoos and Aquariums facilities are protecting flamingos.
Mexican wolves in New Mexico
Incredible things are happening in New Mexico for Mexican wolves and the Protecting the Wild crew was there to capture it all.
Peter and Dr. Rae first visited Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) Mexican wolf recovery team to learn how conservationists are working to bring back this highly endangered species.
“We got to ride through the ranch on ATVs, scaling hills and valleys and ultimately making it to the wolf enclosures where Mexican wolves lead healthy lives in the wilderness while remaining under the care of the team,” Dr. Rae said. “These wolves are often not able to be returned to the wild, and their habitats at the ranch offer them an extremely wild-like living experience.”
Next, the co-hosts joined USFWS on its annual wolf processing effort. Mexican wolves are sedated and taken from the mountains via helicopter, brought to base camp for a veterinary checkup (including vaccinations), and receive a GPS collar before being released back into the wild.
The co-hosts watched as veterinarians and biologists weighed each wolf, confirmed its gender, measured its bite spread and vaccinated it.
“After completing the work up, the wolf was determined to be healthy and ready to return to the same location,” Peter said. “Our biologist reassured me before nightfall our canine patient would be reunited with its pack, to run free in the mountains of New Mexico once again.”
Learn about Mexican wolf conservation and how the Endangered Species Act has helped its recovery.
Catch these episodes coming soon to NBC, nbc.com and Peacock. Bookmark the new episodes page to stay up to date with Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild.
For more behind-the-scenes filming tales, read about the co-hosts’ travels in the Northwest U.S. and Canada.
