5 Beastly Secrets Behind Wild Kingdom

Fifty-eight years ago today (May 28), Zoo Parade premiered on NBC. For its first five seasons, the show was broadcast from Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. The series' host, Marlin Perkins, also just happened to be Lincoln Park's director. By the time Zoo Parade went off the air, Perkins was thoroughly convinced that television was in desperate need more wildlife programming, and Wild Kingdom was born.

2. The Moment Everyone Remembers that Never Actually Happened

5. All Was Not What It Seemed
During those early years of Wild Kingdom, most viewers were naïve in the ways of wild animals and it never occurred to us to ask "Just how did that baby moose happen to get stuck in the mud pit at the same time a camera crew was nearby?" In 1982, the producers of the CBC series The Fifth Estate (sort of a Canadian 60 Minutes) aired an episode titled "Cruel Camera," which examined the treatment of animals in the entertainment industry. The show's host, Bob McKeown approached an 80-something Marlin Perkins for an impromptu interview, asking whether Wild Kingdom had ever interfered with nature for the sake of drama. Perkins (whom most of us still remembered as the mild-mannered man responsible for such awkward segues as "Just like the mother bear protects her cubs, Mutual of Omaha is there to protect your family"¦") first demanded that the cameras be shut off, then proceeded to punch McKeown in the face when his request was denied.

The Fifth Estate recently aired a follow-up to "Cruel Camera," and it breaks our collective heart to report that despite the supposed supervision of the American Humane Association, all these years later animals are still being exploited and abused in the name of entertainment. WARNING: This video is heart-wrenching in parts and difficult to watch, but is an important statement on behalf of those creatures who cannot speak for themselves.