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'Jungle Jack' entertains families with furry and feathered friends

Staff photo by RYAN BAUER

Animal expert Jack Hanna attended a breakfast at Busch Gardens Saturday where he mingled with families and wild animals including a sloth.

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By RYAN BAUER

rbauer@tbo.com

Published: November 14, 2009

TAMPA - Wild animals met wild appetites as 125 Jack Hanna fans and animal enthusiasts joined "Jungle Jack" and a few of his furry and feathered friends for breakfast this morning at Busch Gardens.

Also on hand were three of the park's animal handlers who roamed the crowd with a sloth, a flamingo, and a small, furry African mammal called a hyrax.

Hanna is no stranger to Busch Gardens. The animal expert often appears at events in the park when he's in town taking a break from his worldly travels.

He said he'd just returned from Malaysia, where he was studying the natural habitats of the orangutan and pygmy elephant. He's also been on every continent at least twice and owns a home in Rwanda.

"I've been coming to Busch Gardens since 1968, where I spent the first week of my honeymoon," said Hanna. "I enjoy coming here because it's fun for me to talk to people, not cameras. By talking to the people I get to find out about their issues and their concerns about conservation throughout the world — and so it's something that means a lot to me."

Hanna, who got his start with animals by cleaning cages for a veterinarian clinic in Tennessee as an 11-year-old boy, gave plenty of one-on-one time to the children that attended. He also posed for pictures with guests and autographed photos and copies of his books.

Hanna also is the former director of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo.

Most of the children know Hanna from his syndicated television show, "Jack Hanna's Into the Wild," which airs locally at 10 a.m. Sundays on WTVT, Channel 13.

But television, says Hanna, has always been on the periphery of his work with conservation. "I do TV like you play golf, I guess. I have fun doing it."

And there's a genuine sense of sincerity in his voice when he downplays his celebrity status. Especially with his recurring roles on shows such as "The Late Show with David Letterman" and ABC's "Good Morning America."

"I just really enjoy seeing peoples' reactions to the animals, hearing their questions, seeing their excitement about the animal world — that excites me more than anything, really. And of course, coming here to Busch Gardens is real special, because you're coming to one of the finest animal parks in the world."

Hanna hosts another sold out breakfast tomorrow morning at Busch Gardens.

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