Peter Gros’ first encounter with big cats came at a young age. Visiting his brother at the Millbrook School for Boys, Peter met a cheetah at the private school’s teaching zoo.
“The founder of the zoo, Frank Trevor, introduced me to a cheetah that had to be hand raised,” Peter said. “He let me lean over and pet it and it purred.”
This started a lifelong interest of big cats that took Peter from his childhood in the Hudson Valley to his career as co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild.
Learn more about big cats and Peter’s journey with these fascinating animals.
Defining big cats
Big cats are comprised of six species: lions, tigers, jaguars, mountain lions, leopards and cheetahs. Each one has a unique personality, but all are members of the feline family.
Though they may be quite larger than your average house cat, Peter says they do share some similarities to pets.
“Cheetahs are kind of doglike,” Peter said. “They have non-retractable claws, a dog shaped body. They’re like a cross between a greyhound and a cat.”
And when wildlife experts interact with cheetahs in professional care, “they aim to please, want to be near you and want to be pet,” Peter said.
Meanwhile, leopards and tigers have the closest personality to house cats.
“They’re so independent. They just bolt away,” Peter said.
Only the mountain lion (or cougar, panther or catamount depending on your region) is native to the U.S. Watch the Protecting the Wild episode, “Crossing Cougar Country,” to learn more.
Working with big cats
Big cats are Peter’s specialty, drawing from a long career working with feline species. After going to school for animal husbandry and training, he learned how to bottle raise cats that the parents wouldn’t take care of.
“A lot of cats, when they have cubs for the first time in a captive situation, they don’t know how to take care of them,” Peter said. “We would bottle raise the cubs so they could have the necessary colostrum and grow.”
The practice used to be very common in zoos but rarely used today, as caretakers don’t want the animals to become attached to people.
Peter then went on to work with lions, tigers, jaguars, snow leopards and cheetahs, before joining the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as a professional fellow.
“I went along and assisted the veterinarians,” Peter said. “I was trained by some of the best in the business who could see how happy I was being the first to show up and the last to leave.”
In one of his jobs, Peter found a friend in Nadji, an ambassador tiger at a facility in Northern California. The tigers here lived in a unique habitat of islands where they could swim in surrounding lakes.
“We were friends for almost 21 years,” Peter said. “They were one of the longest-living tigers in captivity.” 
Peter also was a spokesperson for big cat endangered species breeding programs. When one Bengal tiger in his care gave birth to seven cubs (a standard litter is two or three), news traveled around the world, including to the folks at The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
His appearance on The Tonight Show was memorable not only because of the successful breeding program, but because of who he met while there — Jim Fowler, co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Shortly thereafter, Jim offered Peter the opportunity to co-host the classic series.
Though Peter has now worked with nearly every big cat species, he would love to see more in the wild, especially jaguars and tigers.
“I went to Nepal to see tigers in the wild in Chitwan National Park,” Peter said. “I was in grasses and jungle looking for them and we never even saw a tiger’s tail.”
Big cats in zoos
Life in a zoo for a big cat has evolved dramatically. Today, they enjoy large habitats with grass, water elements and enrichment programs. In some cases, there are more big cats in captivity than the wild.
Zoos play a critical role in the conservation of big cats because of their captive breeding programs and in the future, reintroduction programs. Plus, they provide a way to introduce more people to these species.
“Zoos set the hook,” Peter said. “You see a large cat up close and look it in the eye and see the magnificence and beauty in this animal. You can’t help but leave a zoo and say, ‘what can I do to help save this species in the wild?’”
African lions at Zoo Boise not only receive top-notch care and enrichment, they’re doing the important task of public education for their conservation in their native country.
Credit | Naomi Clayton, NAC Photography
Big cat safety
Though big cats may seem like a larger version of your pet, remember, these are still wild animals. Never have a wild animal as a pet.
If you see a mountain lion in the wild, stand tall, look big and raise your coat. If you have a small child with you, pick them up. If that doesn’t work, yell.
“Mountain lions don’t want to be around people. Something has to trigger them to chase us,” Peter said.
But don’t fear big cats — they’re a vital part of our ecosystem.
“Read as much as you can, learn as much as you can and have enough knowledge so you can feel comfortable with big cats,” Peter said.
For more big cat stories, check out this tale of celebrity mountain lion, P-22 and learn how the Phoenix Zoo conserves jaguars.
