Jack Hanna brings the animal life to the party

Jack Hanna is well known for his appearances on national talk shows and his Saturday morning television programs, but his real love is educating fellow animal lovers during live performances.

“Doing TV shows is one thing, but being around people is my thing,” he said. “I don't do this because it's a living; I do it because I love to be around people.”

Jungle Jack brought his enthusiasm for conservation and the animal kingdom to The Jefferson School in Georgetown Oct. 6 for a 90-minute show featuring 16 live animals and multiple clips from his show, “Into The Wild.” Hanna does about 100 live shows a year and several television appearances.

“We try to have a show for a 3-year-old up to a 90-year-old,” he said. “We try to keep it fun, keep it interesting.”

Hanna opened the night by bringing out a snow leopard and kept the train rolling with an African penguin, alligator and anaconda snake, capping the night with a fully grown cheetah.

The Jefferson School Head of School Connie Hendricks said the event was the first time the school has held an event of this size. She said it served as a good fundraiser while giving the school exposure to the community.

“We do a lot with environmental sciences, so he was a perfect choice for us,” she said.

She said the school contacted Hanna, who liked the school's curriculum and agreed to come for a show.

Hanna got his first job at 11, working with his family's veterinarian cleaning cages. After college, Hanna and his wife, Suzi, opened a pet shop in Knoxville, Tenn. He then became the director of a small zoo in Florida and eventually was named the director of the Columbus Zoo in 1978, where he still makes his base today.

“You can see a dream can be lived,” he told the crowd of about 300 during the show. “I never sought TV. I'm still the same as I was as a boy in Knoxville, Tenn.”

Following his show in Georgetown, Hanna performed in New Brunswick, N.J., Oct. 7, before taping appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman” Oct. 8 and “Good Morning America” and “Piers Morgan Tonight” Oct. 9. About 80 percent of his live shows are in large theaters, he said.