‘Jungle Jack’ Hanna visits Phoenix Zoo
Nov 20, 2014, 7:49 PM | Updated: 7:49 pm
PHOENIX — ‘Jungle Jack’ Hanna, arguably the most famous zoologist in the world, made a stop at the Phoenix Zoo on Wednesday to film an episode of his show, “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild.”
Hanna has often been featured on late night shows and news programs as an animal expert, and travels the world performing shows with the goal of educating the public about wild animals.
As if his celebrity status wasn’t enough to excite visitors, he also brought his wife, daughter and grandchildren to all be featured in the episode of his show for the first time as a group.
A status update on Hanna’s Facebook page featured an excerpt from his granddaughter Gabriella’s journal about the experience: “I loved Ralph, the massive and sweet Galapagos tortoise!” it read. “I wish I could bring him back to England with me!”
Photos from the visit depict Hanna and his family feeding the zoo’s giraffes, meeting “Ralph” the tortoise and even grabbing a quick snooze with his grandkids on a zoo bench.
The air date of the episode has not yet been released.
After the zoo visit, Hanna joined Arizona Game and Fish Department to help employees conduct health assessments on big horned sheep. Then, Thursday morning, he assisted with the relocation and release of the sheep into the wild.
“The state of Arizona keeps a careful watch over its native wildlife,” Hanna wrote on Facebook about the experience. “It was pretty amazing to see these experts at work and these animals up close.”
