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feature
A Day with Jack Hanna
By Nancy Dewar Photography by Alisia Cubberly
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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
-Suzi Hanna
he appeared on The Tonight Show with David Letterman and became a frequent and entertaining guest on the show for years. Jack launched his first syndicated TV show in 1993 with “Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures.” A decade later he created “Jack Hanna’s into the Wild” television series followed by “Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown.” Due to his television productions and extensive conservation support for numerous organizations around the world, Jack became the zoo’s Director Emeritus in 1992 and officially retired in January 2021.
Though Columbus was their home for years, they spent part of the year at their home on Flathead Lake near Bigfork, Montana; and it became their permanent home upon retiring.
The Hanna’s also have a farm near Bigfork known as Elk Glenn Retreat, which I believe is on the market now. The primary purpose of the farm was to support organizations near to their hearts. The cabins on the property were all built for charity and were used to raise money (through fundraising auctions, etc.) for the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium’s conservation efforts, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and many more. The Hanna’s purchased the property in 1998, and it was a work in progress ever since. golf shirt. He quickly ducked into a bunk house and returned in his infamous khakis and pith helmet. Okay, I thought…now he looks like Jungle Jack, and very handsome at that! He has a booming voice and an undeniable presence. Shortly after I was greeted by Suzi and their daughter Kathaleen who had flown in from London the night before with her two children (11-year-old Gabriella and 9-year-old Jack).
The farm is situated on forty-one picturesque acres overlooking the peaks of the Swan mountain range and the clear blue waters of Flathead Lake. It has six custombuilt guest cabins featuring log construction, stonework and reclaimed wood. The newest cabin on the farm was formerly a working barn that housed goats and cows. Jack and Suzi converted it into a charming, cozy cabin known as “Elk Cabin.” One of the oldest treasures at the farm is the 1950’s tractor that came from Jack’s family farm outside of Knoxville. Jack told us, “The tractor was the only thing I wanted from my Dad’s farm. It means more to me than anything else here.”
We hopped into a golf cart and started our tour with a trip to meet the goats. When I asked Jack what kind of goats they are, he laughed and said, “I don’t know!” Well, let’s just call them spunky and hungry goats, as they climbed, clamored and vied for the best feeding positions from
the Hanna clan with a bit of head-butting going on too. From there we met four alpacas. Kathaleen’s daughter, Gabriella, turned out to be quite the “Alpaca Whisperer!” These adorable little creatures swarmed around her…even offering her a few kisses. “What’s going on here,” Jack asked. “They never even come near me!”
The plants and flowers at the farm are grown in the greenhouse or in the large, beautiful garden that is dedicated to the Hanna’s last two dogs. A local horticulturist oversees the planning and care, but gardening is one of Suzi’s true passions and gifts too! The sign over the garden’s entrance reads, “FOR ALL THEIR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE - We Dedicate This Garden to Brass and Tasha – June 2012.” Brass was Jack and Suzi’s beloved Golden Retriever, and Tasha was their beloved yellow Lab. When chatting about their dogs, Suzi said, “This is the first time in 47 years we haven’t had a dog. It’s difficult with our travel schedule, but we’ll certainly have another one of these days.”
Filming for their television series takes them all over the world…from Belize, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Rwanda and more. Suzi told me that they usually film about 5 to 7 shows per shoot and the days are long. “We go out on game drives early morning and at dusk. It’s cooler then, more animals are out and those are the best time for game sightings,” she explained.
Jack and Suzi said that they also spend a portion of each year at their home in Rwanda. Their love of this African country began when Jack and the Columbus Zoo started a grass roots organization (Partners in Conservation) in 1991 to benefit endangered mountain gorillas that was spearheaded by Charlene Jendry, then a gorilla zookeeper at the Columbus Zoo. “The mountain gorillas took me to Rwanda, and the people there are now very much involved. The animal world has led me to help the people world. We’ve learned that you have to take care of the people in the world to take care of their animal neighbors.”
As we explored each of the cabins, Jack’s pride was obvious. No detail was overlooked…from chinked wood walls, reclaimed wood flooring and hand-laid stone fireplaces to porches for passing the time of day. With his booming voice, Jack was definitely the boss…directing Suzi and Kathaleen to go here, there…telling all of us what to do! But his kindness and love of his family was also very obvious. Over the course of his long career, Jack and his family have connected over five billion people to wildlife through television shows, speeches, media appearances and conservation funding raising. Each family member could not have been more gracious to us on that special day. Though I was struck by Jack’s rugged good looks, I was also struck by Suzi’s authentic, natural look and beauty. She didn’t have on a stitch of makeup, nor did it look like she’d had “work” done on her face! She’s lovely looking, and her beauty radiates from both inside and out. A quote from Suzi reads, “You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give. We’ve found that to be true as we travelled the world and shared our passion about conservation.” What a gift to have met some members of this truly special, generous family!
Visit www.jackhanna.com to learn more about Jack & his family.
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