The world’s most famous zookeeper has changed Columbus Zoo and Aquarium – and the city – for the better.
I’ve been blessed to meet many interesting people in my career: everyday people with amazing stories, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, the Fortune 500 CEOs, and Nick Foligno of Columbus Blue Jackets. I was impressed when I got the chance to call the film director George Romero and some Pittsburgh Steelers and meet Mr. Rogers while on a college internship at Pittsburgh Magazine.
It’s part of the job to stay cool and collected in situations like this. But I’ll admit I had an internal fangirl moment when I got to interview Jack Hanna and his wife Suzi for our winter cover story.
The 1980s was an era of zookeeper appearances on late night television. Joan Embery of the San Diego Zoo was a frequent visitor to Johnny Carson, and David Letterman had Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo. I loved seeing both of them growing up, but Hanna definitely had the benefit of the humor value. I recorded his last appearance on Letterman in 2015 and must have seen him five times.
Hanna’s television appearances – on Letterman, Good Morning America, and others – helped bring the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to amazing levels of growth, and took him to three syndicated shows of his own. There are so many stories about Hanna and his adventures that one could easily fill a few books. Hanna herself has written several such personal stories, including Jungle Jack: My Wild Life, his 2008 autobiography.
Although Hanna will retire as director emeritus in late 2020, his legacy continues in myriad ways how he built a once-derelict zoo and made it a world-class attraction. Most would say Columbus owes him gratitude. But Hanna credits an outstanding team at the zoo and the people of central Ohio.
“There is no way I can thank Columbus, Ohio, and the people who live in this beautiful city. I just owe them all a lot, ”says Hanna. “What you have done for our family, what you have done for other people. They built the zoo, not necessarily me, I was just there. And so I can only tell you that it is the greatest in the world. I have visited every country in the world and I will tell you that Columbus, Ohio is my favorite place in the world. “
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