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O'BRIEN: 61 YEARS AGO, A TV SHOW HIT THE AIRWAVES THAT WAS A PIONEER, "MUTUAL OF OMAHA'S WILD KINGDOM." IT BROUGHT THE GREAT OUTDOORS INTO PEOPLE'S LIVING ROOMS. TODAY AMIDST A CHANGING CLIMATE AND MORE FREQUENT AND INTENSE NATURAL DISASTERS, THE SHOW IS BACK WITH A NEW SERIES "PROTECTING THE WILD." CO-HOSTS DR. RAE WYNN-GRANT AND PETER GROS JOIN ME HERE IN-STUDIO AS THEY LAUNCH THEIR SECOND SEASON. THE ORIGINAL "WILD KINGDOM" WAS ON THE AIR FROM THE EARLY 1960s UNTIL REALLY THE LATE 1980s. I MEAN, THAT SHOW--PHH--WAS JUST HUGE. NOW YOU'RE IN THE SECOND SEASON OF THE NEW VERSION OF IT. WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HANDLE A SHOW THAT HAS A TREMENDOUS LEGACY ALREADY? WYNN-GRANT: MY ENTIRE CAREER WAS INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL "WILD KINGDOM," AND IT'S VERY SURREAL TO SAY THAT AS THE NEWEST CO-HOST OF THE SHOW, AND SO THE HONOR THAT I FEEL TO BE A PART OF THIS LEGACY SHOW, ESPECIALLY A SHOW THAT IS IN SERVICE TO NATURE AND IN SERVICE TO THE PLANET, IT'S NOT LOST ON ME. GROS: I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER. TO SHARE THE CONSERVATION INFORMATION WITH OUR VIEWING AUDIENCE IS A WONDERFUL THING TO BE ABLE TO DO. O'BRIEN: HAS THE APPROACH TO THE SHOW CHANGED IN THAT TIME FROM WHEN YOU WERE ON THE ORIGINAL VERSION TO TODAY? GROS: WELL, MUTUAL OF OMAHA'S IDEA WAS TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSERVATION. SINCE THE SIXTIES, WHAT HAS CHANGED IS THE MANNER IN WHICH WE FILM THE SHOW NOW. LITERALLY THE WAY RESEARCH WAS DONE THEN INVOLVED ROPES AND NETS AND PHYSICALLY GRABBING AN ALLIGATOR OR A LARGE SNAKE. NOW TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE FILMING SO MUCH EASIER AND MORE ACCURATE ABOUT EXPERIENCING NATURAL BEHAVIOR ON CAMERA. O'BRIEN: HOW HAS THE SHOW CHANGED IN TERMS OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU COVER? GROS: EARLY ON, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BALD EAGLE GOING ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST. NOW WITH OUR NEW SERIES, FAMILIES CAN SIT THERE AND SEE THIS IS A SPECIES THAT IS NO LONGER ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST. LIKE, RAE RELEASED A BALD EAGLE BACK TO THE WILD IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. I MUST ADMIT YOU SEE HER CRY ON CAMERA. WYNN-GRANT: IT WAS VERY TOUCHING. GROS: IT'S AN INCREDIBLY EMOTIONAL THING. O'BRIEN: I REMEMBER AS A KID WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT THE BALD EAGLE WAS GOING EXTINCT. WYNN-GRANT: WE ALMOST LOST THEM. GROS: SO WE STILL HAVE PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE SOLVED. CLIMATE CHANGE IS AN ISSUE, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO CREATE SOME HOPE SO THIS NEXT GENERATION REALIZES WE CAN SOLVE THEM AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST. O'BRIEN: YOU'VE MENTIONED STORIES THAT YOU'VE BEEN SHOOTING. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE? WYNN-GRANT: THE BEAR EPISODES ARE MY FAVORITES BECAUSE IT REALLY WAS A REFLECTION OF MY LIFE AS A SCIENTIST PRIOR TO BEING A HOST OF THE SHOW, SO WE'RE LAUNCHING SEASON TWO WITH A BLACK BEAR EPISODE WHERE I LITERALLY GO INTO A BEAR DEN OF A HIBERNATING BLACK BEAR, AND THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO DO A DEN CHECK ON BEARS. GROS: WELL, I LOVE BEING IN THE OCEAN. WE WENT TO HUDSON BAY IN CANADA TO SEE BELUGA WHALES... O'BRIEN: OHH. GROS: WHO COME IN EVERY SUMMER. THIS WAS THE THRILL OF A LIFETIME. WYNN-GRANT: YEAH. O'BRIEN: WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THAT A FAMILY GETS OUT OF THE SHOW? WYNN-GRANT: PEOPLE NEED TO BE INFORMED ABOUT WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION. WITHOUT BIODIVERSITY, WE DON'T HAVE A PLANET TO LIVE ON, AND EVERYONE CAN PLAY A ROLE, AND WHAT I PERSONALLY REALLY HOPE PEOPLE GET FROM THE SHOW IS AN EMPOWERMENT, A SENSE THAT "OH, THIS ISN'T A FOREIGN CONCEPT THAT I HAVE TO STUDY IN SCHOOL. I CAN ACTUALLY LEARN SO MUCH BY SITTING ON MY COUCH." WE NEED EVERY SINGLE IN THE PERSON IN THE WORLD TO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN PLAY A ROLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP. GROS: AND SORT OF AN ADDENDUM TO THAT IS THE NEXT GENERATION CAN START WITH THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FRIENDS AND SPEND TIME IN NATURE LEARNING TO APPRECIATE IT. WE HOPE TO ALSO ELIMINATE FEAR OF WILDLIFE AND TRADE KNOWLEDGE FOR IT. O'BRIEN: THANK YOU, GUYS. SO NICE TO SEE YOU, PETER AND RAE. REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. WYNN-GRANT: THANK YOU. GROS: THANK YOU.