Peter Gros is well-known as the co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild. But to some he’s simply known as “grandpa.” As a father of three and grandfather of two, Peter enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
See his tips for spending time in nature and sharing a love for wildlife with your grandchildren.
Peter’s advice for family outdoor adventures
Start young
The key for fostering a love of nature? Introducing your grandchildren as early as possible.
“My hobbies have almost always related to the great outdoors, so as early as I could my granddaughter started in a little backpack on my back hiking around,” Peter said.
After a hike through California’s Torrey Pines State Park, Peter and his granddaughter would enjoy time at the park’s beach. As she got older, he began to teach her about tidepools and what happens along the ocean shore.
Set up camp in the backyard
Another activity the Gros family enjoys is camping. Peter’s granddaughters started camping while they were still in cribs.
“The first camping experience was actually in the backyard of their homes in a very comfortable tent to sort of acclimate them to the idea,” Peter said. “They think, ‘gee, it’s fun to sit outside, spend time in the outdoors and have a marshmallow at the end of the stick.’”
As they got older, Peter started to take them to state parks where they could do short day hikes and then sit around a campfire at night.
“We would find a spot in a meadow and spend time on our backs enjoying the stars and trying to identify constellations,” Peter said.
Take a trip to the zoo
As Californians, the Gros family greatly enjoys their trips to the San Diego Zoo. Peter says it’s the perfect place to expose young children to wildlife in a shaded, comfortable environment.
“There’s such a great collection of animals, and they have these little push carts in the shape of animals they can sit in and eventually can walk themselves,” Peter said.
Explore your backyard habitat
“Think of your backyard as a habitat,” Peter said. “It doesn’t have to be suburbia where you have an acre backyard, you can be in a condominium with a small outside porch area with planters.”
Use plants to foster conversation with your grandchildren. Have them discover which plants attract butterflies or hummingbirds. Which plants give shelter and food to migrating wildlife?
These conversations can help spark interest in exploring local parks and eventually, state and national ones.
Read Wild Kingdom’s guide to national parks.
Peter’s favorite outdoor memories with his granddaughters
In their many adventures in the great outdoors, a few moments stand out for Peter’s family.
“I remember hiking out to Joshua Tree National Park with my granddaughter, my son and his wife. And they couldn’t believe all the wildlife, the lizards and the birds and the uniqueness of the Joshua trees. And you’ll be walking along a trail and there would be a snake sunning itself,” Peter said.
One trip, however, stands out for the Gros family — the time they camped in an area with black bears.
The park allowed dogs on a leash, so Peter brought his dog, Luke, along. Peter, his dog, his sons and his granddaughters were in a tent, ready for bed with their food supply hanging from a tree, safely protected from bears.
“Off in the distance, we heard the breaking of sticks and then some snorting nearby and Luke’s ears perked up,” Peter said. “And just outside our tent was a black bear.”
What Peter didn’t know was that one of his sons had brought Luke’s food bowl inside the tent and covered it with a sleeping bag.
“We were all holding our breath. I had my hand over Luke’s nose and the bear wandered off into the distance. We all looked at each other and said, ‘let’s never do this again,’” Peter said.
Read Peter’s tips for camping among wildlife.
Wild Kingdom episodes to watch with your grandchildren
A great way to introduce your grandchildren to the wonders of wildlife is by watching episodes of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild together. Check out these episodes to see how conservation has changed over time.
Great white sharks then and now
In one of Peter’s first episodes as host of Wild Kingdom, he traveled off the coast of Australia to film great white sharks in the wild.
“We were in a steel cage and we’re talking about razor sharp teeth, and the sharks were aggressive,” Peter said. “They were coming at the cage and bumping it.”
Watch “Great White Sharks of Dangerous Reef.”
“In our more recent show that was done in the Bahamas, our attitude is completely different,” Peter said. “We’re realizing that some sharks are curious. Rae [Wynn-Grant] and I are in the Bahamas actually swimming with them, not in a cage and the sharks are swimming around us.”
Watch “A World Without Sharks.”
The two episodes show the difference in which sharks were studied. When the classic episode was filmed in the 1980s, people would put food in the water to get the sharks to come by, but that’s no longer the practice today.
“Now we have more of an appreciation for sharks as an apex predator rather than this early attitude of marauders looking for anything in the ocean to eat,” Peter said.
Condors then and now
One of the best conservation success stories is that of the California condor. Once near extinction, these birds of prey are being saved thanks to conservationists.
Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler talked about the issues of the California condor while filming Andean condors in Season 7.
Watch “Land of the Condor.”
On Protecting the Wild, Peter and Co-Host Dr. Rae explore the challenges the condor faces today and how conservationists are helping protect this vital species.
Watch “Extinct in the Wild.”
The two episodes show how conservation is an ongoing process.
“We can’t leave each show and say, ‘gee, problem solved,’” Peter said. “Now we leave the show saying, ‘boy, have we done a lot of work.’ The species is making a comeback, but we can’t rest on our laurels. We need to stay on top of this to make sure they’re doing well.”
Watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild weekends on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Check out classic episodes of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, now airing Sunday mornings on MeTV.
