*NBC’s “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild” returns this fall with its third season, premiering Saturday, October 4. Co-hosted by wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and longtime conservationist Peter Gros, the series continues its mission of sharing extraordinary stories of animal conservation and the people working to protect them.
“We are rocking and rolling on season three… and it’s on every Saturday morning,” Dr. Wynn-Grant said.
This season takes audiences to remarkable landscapes, including Australia’s Queensland region, home to the Great Barrier Reef, eucalyptus forests, and iconic species like koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. One of the episodes Dr. Wynn-Grant is most eager to share centers on spider monkeys in the Mayan rainforest of Central America.
“There’s some interesting surprises in that episode because we actually find ourselves at a 7-Eleven of all places in Mexico, where spider monkeys and humans are interacting. And we learn about why that might not be so great for conservation,” she explained.
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For Dr. Wynn-Grant, joining“Wild Kingdom” is more than a professional milestone—it’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream. “I was an urban kid, right? So I did not grow up going camping or hiking with my family, or fishing or hunting or any of that. I grew up in inner city spaces. … Shows like Wild Kingdom exposed me to nature, exposed me to the outdoors, and exposed me to wild animals. And so as a little kid, I was saying to my parents, I want to be a nature show host when I grow up,” she recalled. Decades later, she describes hosting the iconic program as “incredibly surreal” and “a huge honor to carry on the legacy of the show.”
In addition to bringing science and storytelling to millions of viewers, Dr. Wynn-Grant has broken barriers as the first Black woman to host an original wildlife series. “People of color, and in particular Black folks, have not shown up in that space at all or nearly enough. And even now, it’s just me. So it’s not just that I’m the first. Right now, I’m the only person, only Black woman doing this, only Black person with a show. So I take it very seriously,” she said. “I can’t wait until we can say there’s a second and a third, and then to the point where we can’t count anymore.”
She hopes her visibility will help diversify the field of conservation storytelling. “I truly hope that my presence on TV, my presence doing this work is already opening doors that I can’t even see. I hope that doors are flying open. And if not, I am dedicated to continuing to do the work to increase representation of Black folks in this space.”
Beyond representation, Dr. Wynn-Grant believes the future of conservation depends on addressing human needs alongside environmental ones. “Every place that I visited in the name of wildlife conservation, I see that it works better when the human communities surrounding those areas are well-resourced. … When the communities of people, in the areas where there are wildlife, do not have poverty, hunger, you know, environmental harm being done to their own communities, when that is eliminated, they’re better able to support wildlife conservation,” she said.
As “Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild” continues its Emmy-nominated run, audiences can expect not only breathtaking journeys from Australia to Central America, but also a vision for conservation that puts people and wildlife side by side.
Watch our full conversation with Dr. Wynn-Grant below.
*This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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