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Jim Fowler - Zoologist & Wild Kingdom Host

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Jim Fowler - Zoologist & Wild Kingdom Host PITTSBURGH ZOO & PPG AQUARIUM THE THOMPSONS Jim Fowler - Zoologist & Wild Kingdom 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 1 2 3 4 5 1. ON THE JOHNNY CARSON 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 MARLIN PERKINS. 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.
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