‘Wild Kingdom’ comes to Broyhill Center

Things are about to get hairy in Lenoir.

Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute’s J.E. Broyhill Civic Center will present “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” starring Peter Gros, on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m.

In his popular live presentations, Gros shares his exciting animal world, travel experiences and timeless tales. He highlights his many adventures with a mix of video clips and bloopers, while introducing friendly exotic animals to audience members and telling inspirational stories about issues of conservation, travel and wildlife filming.

The original “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” series – a program honored with 41 major awards, including four Emmy Awards and an endorsement by the National PTA for television programming recommended for family viewing – was one of the best known and longest-running series on nature and the animal world.

Gros was a frequent guest on “LIVE with Regis and Kelly” and the “CBS Early Show.” In addition, he has appeared on numerous talk shows, including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Gros is also an active conservationist. On behalf of Mutual of Omaha, he is intimately involved in a nationwide conservation education program conducted at the local community level.

Gros’s research expeditions have taken him to Lake Baikal in Siberia to explore the wonders of the world’s largest, oldest and deepest lake, and to the Amazon Basin, where he led an expedition of 39 sixth-graders from Zeeland, Mich., to study the Peruvian rain forest. He has also studied the effects of ecotourism on wildlife in Venezuela, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico and the Galapagos Islands.

In addition, Gros has served as the U.S. representative on the Citizen Ambassador Program’s research study of tigers and rhinos in the Chitwan National Forest in Nepal.

In his travels throughout the world, Gros and his animal friends help teach about the importance of caring for the world around us.

Gros has nearly 30 years of field experience with captive wildlife. In his former position as director of land animals and vice president at Marine World/Africa USA, he established breeding programs for 377 endangered animals. He also developed a rehabilitation program for birds of prey, as well as the largest captive breeding colony of ostriches in the United States.

He is a licensed exhibition and animal educator for the USDA and an active member of the American Zoo and Aquariums Association and Zoological Association of America. Gros is also on the board of directors of the Suisun Marsh Natural History Association.

He is a frequent lecturer on conservation and preservation at universities, zoos and nature and science centers around the nation. Gros currently serves as president of the Green Valley Center for Wildlife Education.

“We need to continue to deliver a powerful message about how each of us can make a daily difference in preserving our natural world,” Gros said. “It is possible to use our natural resources in a sustainable manner. We simply need to educate our nation’s youth about the importance of wildlife conservation.”

His Lenoir performance is set for Sunday, Nov.4 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $24 for adults and $15 for children. For more information, call the Broyhill Civic Center box office at (828) 726-2407 or visit http://www.broyhillcenter.com.