Many know the name Jack Hanna, know that he was the director of the Columbus Zoo, know that he has appeared on shows such as “Larry King Live” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” But how many know where he came from and how diverse a career he has had?
Hanna grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and as he likes to say in his shows, he got his first job at 11, working for the family veterinarian. On Hanna’s website it says that he held this job for “several summers and developed a love and respect for animals.”
After he met his wife and got married out of college, they then opened a pet shop in Knoxville. After a few years, he was offered a position as director of a zoo in Sanford, Florida. Due to an illness in his family, he had to take a break after a few years.
Hanna then answered an advertisement for a zoo director in Columbus, Ohio, one of the positions he was most famous for. He managed to bring up attendance by “offering educational and entertaining events.”
A few years later, Hanna was then invited to appear on “Good Morning America” after the birth of twin gorillas. Hanna used this as a way to “educate people across the nation about animals,” and has been a regular guest on the show since.
Hanna then appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” two years later. Afterward, he appeared on other shows such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Hollywood Square,” “Entertainment Tonight” and many more.
“Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures” was then born in 1993 and in 2007, he created another TV series titled, “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild,” which was awarded several Daytime Emmy’s. Through this he has traveled the world and discovered new animals and cultures. He also has another show, “Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown,” that airs on Saturday morning on ABC.
But through all these shows and appearance, Hanna had to give up his job and become the director Emeritus, which essentially means he retired and is still associated with the zoo, and travels more than he does not.
With his most recent tour passing through Shippensburg, it seems as though he is not stopping and will remain a prominent figure as long as he can.
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