Marlin Perkins

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Marlin Perkins
Television personality
Spouse(s)Elise More (1933–1953)
Carol Morse Cotsworth (1960–1986, his death)[1]

Richard Marlin Perkins (March 28, 1905 – June 14, 1986) was an American zoologist. He is best known as the host of the television program Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom from 1963 to 1985.

Life and career

Perkins was born on March 28, 1905, in

Wentworth Military Academy. There, Perkins demonstrated his fascination with snakes by keeping blue racers in his room. One afternoon, while exercising them on a lawn at the back of the barracks, he was spotted by a faculty officer and got in trouble for handling them.[3]

Perkins briefly attended the

Karl P. Schmidt. Schmidt carelessly allowed the snake to bite him not believing that its venom would be enough to harm him. The snake was a very deadly boomslang. Schmidt maintained a scientific diary noting his symptoms over the course of the 24 hours in which it took him to die. (The venom is an anticoagulant, causing the person to bleed to death.)[4][5]

In 1962, Perkins returned to the St. Louis Zoo, this time as director.[2] During his time at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Perkins joined Sir Edmund Hillary as the zoologist for Hillary's 1960 Himalayan expedition to search for the legendary Yeti.[2][6]

Perkins was the host of

Gaboon viper). Although the incident occurred during a pre-show rehearsal and was not filmed, it has become something of an urban legend, with many people "remembering" seeing Perkins receive the bite on television (an example of what is known as a "false memory").[7]

As a result of his work on Zoo Parade, Perkins was offered the job in 1963 for which most North Americans remember him: host of the nature show

Wild Canid Survival and Research Center (WCSRC) near St. Louis in 1971. This wolf sanctuary has been instrumental in breeding wolves for eventual re-placement into their natural habitats.[8]

Perkins retired from active zookeeping in 1970[2] and from Wild Kingdom in 1985 for health reasons.[3] Perkins remained with the Saint Louis Zoo as Director Emeritus[8] until his death on June 14, 1986, of cancer.[9]

Honors

Perkins received an American Education Award in 1974. He was also granted honorary doctoral degrees from the then

In 1990, Perkins was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.[10] A statue of Perkins also stands in Central Park in his hometown of Carthage, Missouri.[11]

Personal life

Perkins married his first wife, Elise More, in 1933; they were divorced in 1953.

lymphatic cancer.[16]

Publications

Listed chronologically

References

  1. ^ a b "Carol Perkins dies; conservationist, author and widow of famed Marlin Perkins". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 25, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Marlin Perkins". stlzoo.org. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Caldwell, Bill. "Carthage native Marlin Perkins promoted wildlife preservation". Joplin Globe. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. PMID 28130154
    .
  5. ^ "Diary of a Snakebite Death". YouTube.
  6. ^ "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Season 1, Episode 3 (discussed by Perkins starting approximately 15:00)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021.
  7. Snopes.com
    . October 2, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Marlin Perkins". Everything.com. October 1, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  9. ^ "Marlin Perkins of 'Wild Kingdom' Dies of Cancer at 81". Los Angeles Times. June 15, 1986. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees". St. Louis Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  11. ^ "Marlin Perkins - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  12. ^ "Wife Divorces Zoo Director Marlin Perkins". Chicago Tribune. October 14, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Social Activities (column)". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 2, 1937. p. 3C. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Marlin Perkins, Zoo Chief, Marries Mother of Three". Chicago Tribune. August 14, 1960. pp. 9–43. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  16. ^ "Marlin Perkins of 'Wild Kingdom' Dies of Cancer at 81". Los Angeles Times. June 15, 1986. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  17. Buffalo Evening News
    . April 8, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Primer on Animal Trais Yields Fascinating Lore". The Wichita Eagle. May 30, 1954. p. Magazine 11. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Marlin Perkins (photo)". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. November 14, 1954. p. H 10. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Mrs. Perkins To Lecture on Australian Bush". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 10, 1966. p. 4D. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Latham, Roger (February 10, 1977). "Great Outdoors (column)". The Pittsburgh Press. p. B-13. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Jacobson, Ethel (November 14, 1982). "Lives Devotes To Man's Fellow Creatures". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4F. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

External links