[3] Perkins briefly attended the University of Missouri, but quit school to become a laborer at the Saint Louis Zoological Park.

In 1957, in a famous case, he sent a snake that was difficult to identify from the zoo to the herpetologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Dr. Karl P. Schmidt.

Although the incident occurred during a pre-show rehearsal and was not filmed, it has become something of an urban legend, with many people "remembering" seeing Perkins receive the bite on television (an example of what is known as a "false memory").

[7] As a result of his work on Zoo Parade, Perkins was offered the job in 1963 for which most North Americans remember him: host of the nature show Wild Kingdom.

The fame he gained in his television career allowed him to become an advocate for the protection of endangered species, and through Wild Kingdom he gave many Americans their first exposure to the conservation movement.

Perkins also helped establish the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center (WCSRC) near St. Louis in 1971.

[3] Perkins remained with the Saint Louis Zoo as Director Emeritus[8] until his death on June 14, 1986, of cancer.