feature
A Day with Jack Hanna By Nancy Dewar Photography by Alisia Cubberly
While reading many articles recently about amazing Betty White, I learned that she was very close to Jack and Suzi Hanna; a.k.a. “Jungle Jack,” a well-known TV personality, former director of the Columbus Zoo and a world-wide advocate for wild animals and conservation for over forty years. For Hanna’s 40th anniversary at the zoo in 2018, Betty issued a statement that said, “The zoo world and the animal world at large are far better off for having Jack in them. And let’s face it…he just keeps getting better looking, so I hope he’s around for a long, long time!” Her quips about handsome men were many! Jack welcomed Betty to the Columbus Zoo in 1979, the first of many of her appearances at the zoo and a lifelong friendship was forged.
Following Betty’s death, the Hanna family put out this statement: "We are heartbroken by the passing of our dear and special friend, Betty White. Jack first met Betty in the late ‘seventies and we have considered her a cherished family friend ever since. Betty was a champion for the animal world. We were so grateful and blessed to have known her."
A few years ago while living in Whitefish, Montana I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with the Hanna’s and wrote an article about them for my former magazine, 406 Bark. I thought it would be nice to share a bit about this remarkable man and his family.
Jack and Suzi met in college and were married in 1968. They have three grown daughters and several grandchildren. The Hanna’s opened a pet store in Knoxville shortly after they were married and then Jack became the director of a small zoo in Sanford, Florida a few years later. In 1978 he became the director of the Columbus Zoo. His commitment, brilliance and dedication transformed it, and it’s now the second largest zoo in the nation.
The zoo, and Jack, gained national notoriety in 1983 when he appeared on Good Morning America following the birth of the zoo’s twin gorillas. Two years later
Jack and his family have connected over five billion people to wildlife through television shows, speeches, media appearances and conservation funding raising.
14 seacoastbarkmagazine.com
