PITTSBURGH ZOO & PPG AQUARIUM THE THOMPSONS

Jim Fowler - Zoologist & Host

As a professional zoologist and host of nature and our planet. A staunch zoo exhibits that allow people to better the Emmy award winning television environmentalist Jim was awarded the learn about the animals they see. From show Mutual of Omaha’s Wild first ever Lifetime achievement award his early days in the Amazon & Africa, Kingdom, Jim has had his share of from the Environmental Media through his television appearances, Jim adventures. It has allowed him to travel Association for his strong support and continues his quest of education about the globe in search of animal stories. continued commitment to our our natural world. His professional career has been environment. Through his experience devoted to educating people about he has assisted in the development of

WILDLIFE CORESPONDENT WILD KINGDOM DAYS ZOO DESIGNER “THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS HOW TO AFFECT PUBLIC ATTITUDES AND MAKE PEOPLE CARE” .... JIM FOWLER

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5 1. ON THE SHOW MAKING 40 APPEARANCES.

2. HOST OF MUTUAL OF OMAHA’S WILD KINGDOM IN 1986 & A MEMBER OF THE PRODUCTION SINCE THE SHOW’S PREMIERE IN 1963.

3. WORKING WITH THE HARPY EAGLE IN THE AMAZON.

4. JIM WITH .

5. INTERVIEW FOR THE ZOO & AQUARIUM VIDEO ARCHIVE PROJECT. DINNER WITH COLLEAGUES

LEFT TO RIGHT... The Zoo & Aquarium Video Archive 1. DR. DENNIS MERITT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR- project needs your support RETIRED, LINCOLN PARK ZOO. The Zoo & Aquarium Video legacy, a video archive is the most 2. JIM FOWLER Archive project is supported by complete and multi-faceted way 3. MARK ROSENTHAL, CURATOR EMERITUS, LINCOLN PARK donations from zoo colleagues, to do so. Time is running out for ZOO interested individuals, their stories. Donations for the

4. DOMINIC CALDERISI, LEAD organizations and businesses that Archive project can be made KEEPER, GREAT APES, LINCOLN understand the importance of directly to the Pittsburgh Zoo PARK ZOO this unique and one of a kind c/o Dr. Barbara Baker, President 5. DR. TOM MEEHAN, VICE PRESIDENT VETERINARY project. These archives will be & CEO. The zoo is a 501C3 SERVICES, BROOKFIELD ZOO. accessible to people from all organization.

6. JIM ROBINETT, VICE over the world. If there ever was PRESIDENT, SHEDD AQUARIUM a way to honor and preserve a Excerpts from a conversation with Jim Fowler

So you were comfortable You mentioned you were on Well, first of all, I think that - I have to appearing on television? the Today Show. Did they go back to that old saying in Earlham Yes, I had had training on television and approach you? Did you College. When I graduated from a little I was very comfortable in being Marlin’s approach them? how did you arts college, nobody told me what I sidekick. by the way, I want to back up a initially get that? couldn’t do. I didn’t know that - I didn’t little bit. One of my sister-in-laws was It was a big deal. Well, I was introduced think that it would be that difficult. I very astute and through the 50’s she to some of them when they came had learned in life that if you are had watched Zoo Parade, Marlin’s down to do Zoo Parade and some of successful at a few things, it gives you show. Marlin was a household name in those people knew some people on the the self esteem to go try something the 50’s. He was very well known and Today Show, but also in Dave Garroway else and I think the fact that my first of course, he had that look that was when I was at this Birds of Prey trip to Africa - I was the kind of guy recognizable. He was rather, astute, attraction. I think I mentioned that that would’ve given my right arm to get white hair, etc. She said to me when I there was a show called Wide, Wide to Africa and I had always learned how got back from Africa, she said, “Jim, you World and when they came down, to adapt to a new situation, I think really ought to get tied in with Marlin some of the producers and directors through sports. I’d had some success Perkins.” I hadn’t thought about that and I got to know each other and then with sports even though it was a fairly much before that, but she was the one later on they’re the ones that small college and I had an opportunity that saw that my life might be encouraged me to come up and do the to play professional baseball, but I think something he was interested in. So I Today Show. I remember when I came some of that rubs off of on you and so ended up doing the pilot film. It took back from Africa, I did an article in the , you dare to try something else, and about a year for that pilot lilm to find a it was a scientific paper on birds of prey Africa was sort of a jumping point. sponsor. Marlin and Don Meier used to that I did on the Harpy eagle. It was in When I came back from Africa and go around the country talking to the profession of zoology and science, started doing the Today Show and had different potential sponsors and bless this little book that was called Auk and all the animals and things like that, it their heart, Quaker Oats was in the I’d written an article in Auk on the gave me the self-esteem to think that I running for a long time. It looked like Harpy eagle. The first studies of the could go to the Amazon even though I we were going to be sponsored by Harpy eagles and one of the producers never knew much about it and I had Quaker Oats, and then Marlin went out from the Today Show had heard about encouragement from two people. I was on Zoo Parade. Mutual of Omaha had me and knew me from that original in - let’s see now, wait a minute. I had done a couple of commercials on Zoo Zoo Parade show and also Wide Wide already done these studies on the Parade, so Marlin and Don Meier went World when I came down. I think this Harpy eagle before I did Wild Kingdom, out to talk with the chairman of the case, I let them know - oh, sorry, I know but I had gone to the Field Museum in board of Mutual whose name was V.J. what it was. I was in Life magazine, the Chicago and talked to the curator of Scott and he had the astuteness to whole story of the Harpy eagles and birds. I think his name was O’Neill in realize that there’s a connection some big photographs and the writer those days, and he told me quite a bit between protecting your life from for the Life magazine had interviewed about British Guyana and that’s why I dangers through insurance and also me and had the whole story. The Today decided to go to British Guyana. He how animals are protecting themselves Show saw that story in Life magazine, introduced me - there was a gentleman in the wild. That was one of the reasons that’s where it was. who was director of the National why Mutual of Omaha picked up History Museum in Georgetown, What was it like when you were sponsoring Wild Kingdom and Quaker British Guyana. By the way, that’s a studying these animals in their Oats was out of the running. I would’ve sleepy town that’s - it’s a pretty natural habitat? been eating Quaker Oats for 30 years if amazing town, Georgetown. So when I it hadn’t been for Mutual of Omaha. first went down there, I went over a conversation with Jim Fowler... to the museum in Meadowman, got with some of the Hollywood stars turned out that a group of lions had some ideas on where Harpy eagles (laughter). It’s pretty hard to insulate come in to try to kill the giraffe and the might be. I did a lot of research. So I yourself from reality. You have to keep elephants were chasing the lions right have to credit two people: O’Neill, at yourself connected with reality and to our camp (laughter). So you get to the Field Museum in Chicago, but also Marlin was interviewed so many times. I know somebody pretty well, when Dean Amadon, who was curator of do the same thing, but you fall back on something like that is going on. I was ornithology at the American Museum stories and things that you feel standing outside the tent because I and he’s the one that really encouraged comfortable with, but you got to be didn’t want to be, anyway, the lions had me to go ahead and do this down in careful because that could catch up gone over the corral fence, killed the Guyana. I had met him and he was the with you if you say the same thing too giraffe, and they were trying to pull the kind of guy that would encourage a many times, but Marlin was very good giraffe back out over the fence and all young person to go do some of these at that. Personally, he worked very this mayhem was going on. Finally, the things. So I consulted with Dean closely with people. He was good with elephants chased the lions away. The Amadon quite a bit. As my trip was his people. Let me give you a thing that I remember about it so well, developing and as I was learning more compliment about Marlin. I was around is that there were 20 to 30 Africans about Harpy eagles. I would the world with Marlin in some very asleep on the ground not too far from communicate with him. adverse situations, things like elephants the giraffe. They never even woke up chasing us in camp at the middle of the with all that going on (laughter). Marlin, What was your impression of night and things like that. Once in let me say this about Marlin. This is very Marlin Perkins? Zimbabwe, actually, it was just turning very true about him. On any of those Marlin was one of the people that into Zimbabwe. It used to be Rhodesia. trips, I never heard Marlin Perkins might be called one of the original type We had a camp and we had been complain about anything. He wasn’t the zoo directors. I don’t want to say old catching giraffes. So I had to be in the kind of guy that complained about any type zoo directors, but Marlin was very Land Rover and you take a noose on conditions, yes. dedicated. Not only was he dedicated, the end of a stick and you, it was about What do you think, why was but I got a lot of influence from Marlin a half grown giraffe and we caught it Wild Kingdom popular? from his dedication. He was really a and put it into a boma which is kind of dedicated scientist and he could talk a fenced in area with logs and there Well, they’re good questions especially forever about reptiles. That was one of were about 20 or 30 Africans who when you ask why Wild Kingdom was his specialties. When Marlin was on were sleeping on the other side of popular. I think it came on at a time location working with an animal, and I where the giraffes were and Marlin, when there were lots of people that think you could see this on Zoo Don Meier, and myself and in fact, were looking because it was a time Parade, you could see the enjoyment in Marlins’s wife Carol was thee in the where people could do a lot of the his eyes, how he reacted to different middle of no where in Africa. In the things that they want to do. We weren’t animals and that was really great to be middle of the night, I heard a lot of as regulated in those days and I have able to work with somebody who was screaming that was going on and by the people come up to me from all walks of not only well known in the field, but way, thee was thunder and lighting and life. I was speaking in Oregon and the somebody that really was dedicated and all this. It was quite an evening, and a State of Washington to a group of enjoyed what he was doing. I think group of elephants were trumpeting, biologists in their areas at Marlin was very good. He had suffered I coming into our camp. Well, I had to convention and there were about 300 think a little bit by being too identifiable make the decision. I always like to get people there and 75% of those fairly to the public. He was very recognizable out of my tent so I can see what’s going young biologists said that they’ve gone and had been a household name and on. Marlin and Don Meier, they still into that profession because of Wild when that happens, you see some stayed in their tents with all this Kingdom and seeing me. People were things happening, of course nowadays confusion going on. Well, guess what? It able to follow passions and have a a conversation with Jim Fowler... pretty good, interesting life and I think that being in the outdoors is dangerous animals, the land, that sort of thing and people were looking for pretty good and that’s unfortunate because we’ve the education, but the way a lot of the interests in life. That’s one reason that a got - the challenge of the 21st century money is made and you get the backing lot of people enjoyed Wild Kingdom. It is to get people to enjoy the outdoors is because of the hotels and the showed them a part of the world that and reconnect families and children restaurants and the infrastructure that was interesting and fascinating and gave with the world and nature. That’s the support the wildlife area. There’s them some hope, some of them, that challenge. If we don’t respect and enjoy nothing wrong with that at all. As long they could actually do that. I have a lot the world of nature, we’re not going to as you’re, I think the main emphasis on of people in airplanes, even today it’s really save much. the wildlife is under the not-for-profit. amazing, a number of people that still What is television to you? remember chapter and verse on Wild Kingdom, but I think that was one of The question about what is television, the things. It gave certain people an no, I think the trick and the key in interest that they hadn’t had before and people in our position who have an a perspective on life on the planet. I interest and a mission, trying to get out think that’s probably it. It was also real. some important things about the We weren’t , hey listen, I hate to natural world, we have to use television complain about television today, but rather than it use us and you got to shows like Survival and these other know how to do that. Often a (laughter) reality type shows, I don’t see television host will try to lead you into much real about them. They’d prey on things that are funny or dangerous or our fellow human beings by trying to total misconceptions about animals and create animals that are dangerous to you have to understand what your humans. A lot of television now is so mission is if you’re going to appear on commercial. It’s going after an audience television and know how to handle the who doesn’t know anything about the host and handle the situation so you’re natural world. They’re killing alligators in using it rather than it using you. Louisiana. They think that’s a big deal. Is there a place today for for- Oh, that’s not a big deal. That’s kind of profit, private for -profit zoos? foolish to show on, anybody can go out Well, I think, listen, it depends upon and shoot an alligator for crying out their messages and their missions. You loud, but that’s not what the natural have to make money if you’re a world is all about. I’m a bit discouraged zoological park. You have to figure out now about, they have programs called some way to sustain yourself When Animals Attack People. Animals economically and I frankly am in favor are the last thing that people have to of non-profits. I believe in that strongly, worry about. The incident of a person but the real combination, in my being damaged by an animal is so small opinion, is when there is a privately that it’s dramatic when it happens. owned wildlife park that has the Siegfried & Roy or the woman up in initiative and the creativity to do new photos courtesy of Jim Fowler & Caravette Productions. Stanford that got bitten, but it is so rare things, all right, but the infrastructure, that the media exploits it and they’re the restaurants, the motels, those can now teaching a lot of people that have be, oh I’m sorry. The main structure no connection with the natural world should be under the non-profit, the