More time being sedentary less time outside. "They're spending so much time in front of screens and in malls. "We have sort of a nature deficit disorder among kids today," he said. He said he also hopes the shows inspire younger generations to venture into the great outdoors. You can make a change locally and individually, I think there's a tremendous amount of hope." "As long as we keep trying and as long as the next generation gets involved and realizes it doesn't take millions of dollars to make a change. "Let them see if we all do our part, this planet is resilient and if we're careful and use our resources in a frugal manner, this planet's not going anywhere," he said. Gros said his personal goal is to share as many of these good news wildlife stories to create hope for the next generation.
The California condor, which was almost completely extinct, is now a wonderfully successful re-introductory program." Black bear and grizzly bear populations are doing well. Our national bird, the bald eagle, is coming back and in many places is off endangered species lists. Sadly, we tend to hear mostly the stories about gloom and doom but the more I travel, the more I hear stories about, for instance, the black-footed ferret, which we thought was completely gone but has been discovered and is now making a comeback. "Wildlife and open spaces are important to our lives," he said.Ĭontrary to a lot of the hype in the media, he added, "The state of the planet right now to me is optimistic. He said though the format of the produced show has changed over the years to include a web series, children's specials, a YouTube presence, in addition to the live shows, the overriding message remains the same. What I hope to do is get them to see wildlife up close in a fun way. Obviously, everyone can't get on a plane and go to Africa to see wildlife at its best. As long as we're disseminating wildlife information that is educational and accurate, then that's all part of wildlife filming."ĭuring his live shows, which often feature small animals, he said, "I like to connect young people and families with wildlife. Making wildlife shows is also about ratings but the important thing is getting young families to watch. (Films) seem to have to have a lot more fear-based activity to grab their attention. "So, during a show there may be a lot more adventure, there may be a lot more teeth, more claws. The pace of life seems to be much faster, but attention spans seem to be a lot shorter," Gros said. "It has accelerated the speed at which we can retrieve data. Though he said he believes the public and particularly children still "love animals," technology has changed the way much of the public experiences them. Gros, now in his 60s, serves as a "Wild Kingdom" ambassador, traveling the country to talk with the public about wildlife and conservation, as well as to promote shows. "So, I had to tell him exactly what my skill level was and he said, 'Stick with me you'll be fine.' He taught me some more basics and there is some very famous footage (that came from that outing) that I'll be using in my show, of a 15-foot white shark swimming with us and almost getting into the cage with us." Now, tell me the truth,'" Gros recalled, laughing. "He said, 'Well, you just put your regulator on your tank backwards. I was just diving a few weeks ago with a friend. Gros, how long have you been diving?' I said, 'Oh, I've been diving a little while. It was the head dive master who said, 'Mr. "I was just about to go in the water, the sharks were coming up to the back of the boat, and I'll never forget this hand on my shoulder. A couple of weeks later, they were anchored off an old shrimp boat at Dangerous Reef, off the coast of South Australia, a place "where white sharks come in and where seals go to pup."