Though Marlin Perkins had a keen appreciation for animals, he was also well aware of how dangerous they could potentially be. As the host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Perkins understood that it was his duty to educate audiences about animals.

During an interview, Perkins acknowledged that dealing with animals could be unpredictable at times, but never scary. Moreover, he maintained that his priority was always the safety of the animals that he worked with.

"At times unforeseen events happen," said Perkins during an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "But we try to avoid them. I have always felt that we would not be seriously injured by animals. We try to plan our moves ahead of time and anticipate what an animal's actions might be. Certainly, we don't want to hurt the animals."

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Perkins' primary goal was education; audiences were able to explore wildlife through an expert's eyes while watching The Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. On his end, Perkins was just as grateful as his viewers were for the opportunity to host a series.

"I consider that I have been very lucky to travel to so many places," said Perkins. "And I think this is much of the appeal of the television show - the viewers, too, would like to go to those places."