ST. LOUIS (AP) - Carol Perkins, a conservationist and humanitarian and the widow of famed zoologist Marlin Perkins, has died.

The St. Louis Zoo says Carol Perkins died Saturday at her home in Clayton, Mo. She was 95 and had been in declining health.

Marlin Perkins was the director of the St. Louis Zoo who gained international fame after becoming host of television’s “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” in 1962. The program aired for 26 years until his death in 1986.

Carol Perkins often accompanied her husband on safaris and other trips. They worked with Washington University to develop what is now known as the Endangered Wolf Center in St. Louis County.

A private funeral is this weekend. The zoo says a public memorial will be next year in Carthage, Mo.

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