Jack Hanna | |
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 Hanna in 2006 | |
| Born | Jack Bushnell Hanna (1947-01-02)January 2, 1947 (age 79)[1] Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Other names | Jungle Jack |
| Education | The Kiski School[2] |
| Alma mater | Muskingum University (BA)[2] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1973–2020 |
| Notable work | Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures Jack Hanna's Into the Wild Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown "Jack Hanna's Passport" |
| Spouse | [2] |
| Children | 3[2] |
| Website | www |
Jack Bushnell Hanna (born January 2, 1947) is an American retiredzookeeper and directoremeritus of theColumbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio. Commonly nicknamed "Jungle Jack",[3] he was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevating its quality and reputation. His various television shows and media appearances, particularly withJohnny Carson,David Letterman,James Corden,Good Morning America, andMaury Povich have made him one of the most notable animal experts in the United States. A 2021 documentary,The Conservation Game, alleged that Hanna participated in the mistreatment and private trade of exotic and endangered animals.
Hanna was born inKnoxville, Tennessee.[1] He grew up on his family's farm and volunteered for the family veterinarian, Dr. Roberts, when he was 11. He attendedThe Kiski School, an all-boys boarding school inSaltsburg, Pennsylvania, for high school, graduating in 1965.[2] He majored in business and political science atMuskingum College inNew Concord, Ohio, where he kept ducks in his dorm room and a donkey in a shed behind his fraternity house (The M.A.C.E. Club).[2] In his senior year, Hanna married Suzi, a cheerleader at Muskingum, and graduated in 1968.[2]
Although unable to securezoning as a zoo for his family's farm, Hanna and Suzi opened a pet shop andpetting zoo. In 1972, a three-year-old boy was mauled by alion at Hanna's farm and lost an arm after slipping past the protective barrier.[4][5] Hanna settled a later lawsuit out of court, shut down the petting zoo, and moved his family toFlorida.[6]
From 1973 to 1975, Hanna worked for a wildlife adventure company and directed theCentral Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. When he was offered the position at the Columbus Zoo in 1978, one of the primary reasons he accepted was because he believedColumbus Children's Hospital had the best treatment available for his daughter Julie'sleukemia. She recovered by the age of six, although she needed to have abrain tumor removed later in life.At the time he became the zoo's director, the grounds of the zoo were unkempt and the facilities run down. Hanna initially struck many as a "zealous" zoo director, often traveling around the zoo grounds after closing to personally pick up trash. He also realized the importance of increasing the profile of the Columbus Zoo in central Ohio to get more public support and funding, and the "everyman"-seeming Hanna proved to be very well-suited to public relations for the zoo. From 1981 to 1983, Hanna hosted a local television program, "Hanna's Ark", which aired on the localCBS affiliate in Columbus,WBNS. Hanna's live animal demonstrations onGood Morning America andDavid Letterman's talk show incarnations brought national attention to the Columbus Zoo as well as to Hanna himself. Over the course of Hanna's tenure as director, the zoo made the transition from cage-like enclosures to habitat environments, and the grounds were significantly expanded. The annual attendance of the Columbus Zoo increased by over 400% during this time. Hanna was named Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in 1992.[7]
Hanna published his autobiography,Monkeys on the Interstate, in 1989. He has published many books for children as well. He hosted the syndicated television showsJack Hanna's Animal Adventures,Jack Hanna's Into the Wild, andJack Hanna's Wild Countdown, all produced and distributed byLitton Entertainment. Hanna's family sold the Jack Hanna television library to Litton's parent companyHearst Corporation in late 2023.[8] Hanna also occasionally contributed commentary as an animal expert on various local and national news programs, and has done guest spots on other shows such asLarry King Live,Nancy Grace,Maury, andThe Hollywood Squares. On September 25, 2003, Hanna made a special guest appearance on an episode ofBlue's Clues (season 5, episode 35, "Animals in Our House?"). He was also named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" byPeople magazine in 1996.[9] Hanna also appeared inNeal McCoy's 2005 music video for "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" with ahyacinth macaw, asloth and an albinoburmese python. Hanna, along with Emmy Award-winning musician Mark Frye, released an album throughVirgin Records in 1996 entitledJack Hanna's World.
He was granted honorary doctorates fromMuskingum University,Otterbein College,Capital University, andOhio University.
On October 19, 2011, Hanna assisted Ohio police in tracking down severalescaped exotic animals nearZanesville, Ohio. He provided police assistance with expertise in tracking down the animals, which included lions, leopards, wolves, primates, bears, and eighteen tigers.[6]
In May 2018 at theLos Angeles Zoo's annual Beastly Ball, Hanna received theTom Mankiewicz Leadership Award for his work in conservation.[10]
In June 2020, Hanna announced his retirement from the Columbus Zoo, effective at the end of the year.[11]
Hanna criticized thekilling of the healthy eighteen-month-old giraffeMarius inCopenhagen Zoo, which was killed rather than offered for adoption after being classified as genetically over-represented in zoo breeding programs. Hanna said this would not happen in an American zoo.[12] Soon after, he raised money to prevent a separate male giraffeculling at the Jyllands Park Zoo, also in Denmark, where zookeepers had said they might kill the giraffe if they brought in some females for breeding.[13][14] Hanna said he was willing to provide refuge including transport for the second giraffe, also named Marius.[13] The Jyllands Park Zoo later stated that they did not plan to bring in a new female or to kill the second Marius at the facility.[15]
In 2019, Hanna was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease. He officially retired from public life in 2021, and he and his wife, Suzi, moved to Montana.[16] In April 2021, Hanna's family publicly announced his diagnosis, and further stated that he would make no further public appearances.[17][18] His daughters stated that "his condition has progressed much faster in the last few months than any of us could have anticipated".[3] By 2023, Hanna's Alzheimer's disease had progressed to the point where he no longer recognized most of his family members.[19]
On April 6, 2021,[20][21] the filmmakers of an independent documentary,The Conservation Game, alleged that Hanna had misrepresented where some ambassador animals had been acquired from or had been transferred to and that the zoo had been dealing with unaccredited private facilities that, in some cases, may not have provided appropriate animal care.[22] The documentary alleged exploitation of immunocompromised animal cubs, including snow leopards, with some of the cubs dying very young or disappearing from record, despite assurances that the cats were healthy and safe.[22]
Zoo officials responded to the documentary by cutting ties with most of the unaccredited private institutions named in the documentary. Former zoo official Suzi Rapp defended one of the private institutions, saying that the lack of certification of the facility does not necessarily indicate a sub-standard facility.[22] Columbus Zoo Senior Vice President of Animal Care and ConservationDr. Jan Ramler says the zoo no longer has relationships with those vendors or any vendors.[22] Columbus Zoo Senior Vice President of Animal Care and ConservationDr. Jan Ramler stated that the zoo no longer has relationships with those vendors.[23] “The film advocates for the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act now being considered in Congress,” a Zoo statement read. “The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium shares and applauds this goal.”[24] Hanna's family released a statement saying they had not seen the documentary, could not speak for him, and could not consult him on the matter due to the effects of his dementia.[25]
Jack Bushnell Hanna was born on January 2, 1947, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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