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Celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna diagnosed with dementia
The state of Ohio has always been known for its celebrity animal advocates. Before Jack Hanna there was Jungle Larry Tetzlaff, a guy who didn't really look the part of a wild animal trainer, more like an appliance repairman. But thanks to his buddies at a local TV station in Cleveland, Jungle Larry became an instant hit on the Captain Penny kiddie show with bald eagles that always threatened to fly-off the set at any moment and monitor lizards half the size of Godzilla. But as quickly as Jungle Larry gained notoriety and fame, the siren song of the south-- Naples, Florida to be exact-- called and he exited Cleveland as soon as he could book two plane tickets for he and his wife.
Fortunately not long after a new animal personality arrived in Ohio. And no one could exude friendly professionalism and love of animals more than Jack Hanna. Hanna in his signature safari outfit became instantly recognizable wherever he went, representing the Columbus Zoo on countless morning TV shows and at other zoos throughout the county. He was Jungle Larry with polish and an easy style that gave him an instant rapport with late night TV hosts and audiences.
Over the years Jack Hanna had his share of close animal encounters. My favorite involved Hanna becoming impossibly trapped late one evening in an Ohio State University airport security turnstile, together with a panicked pink flamingo wildly flapping his wings in a cage inches from some lower tender parts of his body. Jack had flown to Davenport, Iowa that morning for a fundraiser and had remained a little too long talking wild animals with his appreciative hosts. When he returned to the Davenport airport he was way behind schedule. So by the time his chartered King Air turboprop landed in Columbus it was past midnight and everything on the ramp was locked tight. Upon Jack becoming stuck, Hanna's clearly frazzled assistant ran-off to get help at a nearby airport fire station. Soon firemen equipped with everything up to and including blowtorches arrived to free a clearly embarrassed Jack Hanna who admitted "my eyes were as big as grapefruit."
A pretty funny story
The state of Ohio has always been known for its celebrity animal advocates. Before Jack Hanna there was Jungle Larry Tetzlaff, a guy who didn't really look the part of a wild animal trainer, more like an appliance repairman. But thanks to his buddies at a local TV station in Cleveland, Jungle Larry became an instant hit on the Captain Penny kiddie show with bald eagles that always threatened to fly-off the set at any moment and monitor lizards half the size of Godzilla. But as quickly as Jungle Larry gained notoriety and fame, the siren song of the south-- Naples, Florida to be exact-- called and he exited Cleveland as soon as he could book two plane tickets for he and his wife.
Fortunately not long after a new animal personality arrived in Ohio. And no one could exude friendly professionalism and love of animals more than Jack Hanna. Hanna in his signature safari outfit became instantly recognizable wherever he went, representing the Columbus Zoo on countless morning TV shows and at other zoos throughout the county. He was Jungle Larry with polish and an easy style that gave him an instant rapport with late night TV hosts and audiences.
Over the years Jack Hanna had his share of close animal encounters. My favorite involved Hanna becoming impossibly trapped late one evening in an Ohio State University airport security turnstile, together with a panicked pink flamingo wildly flapping his wings in a cage inches from some lower tender parts of his body. Jack had flown to Davenport, Iowa that morning for a fundraiser and had remained a little too long talking wild animals with his appreciative hosts. When he returned to the Davenport airport he was way behind schedule. So by the time his chartered King Air turboprop landed in Columbus it was past midnight and everything on the ramp was locked tight. Upon Jack becoming stuck, Hanna's clearly frazzled assistant ran-off to get help at a nearby airport fire station. Soon firemen equipped with everything up to and including blowtorches arrived to free a clearly embarrassed Jack Hanna who admitted "my eyes were as big as grapefruit."
A pretty funny story