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Written by Kurt Brighton
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Friday, 05 October 2007 |
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It sounds like a Monty Python sketch, but it was actually quite serious. Animal expert and former director of the Columbus Zoo Jack Hanna has sustained animal bites from time to time, par for the course in a career spent working with animals that spans nearly 50 years. But one of the most severe injuries he sustained came from an unlikely critter.
 “I nearly had a finger taken off by a beaver once,” Hanna said.
Luckily, it wasn’t a killer rabbit.
Hanna and the beaver were separated and sent to their corners, the finger was stitched up, and there were no hard feelings, at least not for Hanna. In fact, something Hanna has learned over the years is that, much like dealing with people, one must approach animals with a level of consideration for their feelings if one expects them to behave civilly. Especially if you’re handling them on a stage with the requisite lights, audience noise and a jumpy host.
“It’s a matter of respect,” he said. “They were all raised in zoos, and they’re used to being around handlers, but you’ve got to treat the animals with respect.
Ninety-nine percent of the time if an animal bites me, it’s my fault. You’ve got to remember, for most people getting bitten is the result of a mistake the human made, not the animal.”
Hanna will bring his unique approach to educating people about animals to the Lincoln Center, a show that will feature video clips and slides of recent trips he’s taken, and of course, animals. Lots and lots of animals.
“I’ll have a sloth with me, a cervil cat, a lynx, a 15-foot snake, and several birds of prey,” he said. “And the Denver Zoo is going to bring some animals up there, so I actually don’t even know what all will be there.”
The Tennessee native retains all the natural, easy-going charm he has made famous in his sometimes hilariously unrehearsed appearances on “Good Morning America” and “Late Night with David Letterman.” His natural enthusiasm for animals is contagious, and makes him their perfect spokesman. Hanna is especially close to the cause of the endangered mountain gorilla, and he is appearing with Natalie Portman on an episode of “Saving a Species” focusing on the mountain gorilla on Animal Planet on Oct. 26.
“I have a home in Rwanda,” he said. “I can walk three miles across some potato fields and go see gorillas in their habitat.”
Of course, the African continent is dangerous for all sorts of primates, including humans. But according to Hanna, Rwanda in particular has come a long way toward protecting the lives of all of its denizens, including the 670 or so mountain gorillas that remain.
“I’ve been going there since 1984,” he said. “My wife and I have built orphanages and schools—Rwanda is now the most democratic country in Africa. However, in the Congo, for example, it’s a different story. Wildlife in most of these countries is in great danger due to the government’s disinterest.”
But part of Hanna’s mission is educating people on how they can get involved in aiding the plight of endangered species like the mountain gorilla—and showing struggling governments that tourist dollars can help revitalize poor countries is one way to help save native species. Hanna’s latest project, “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild” will show how ordinary people can travel to exotic places like Rwanda and help save animals in the process.
“This one’s going to be more me getting my family involved with the series,” Hanna said.
“This program is going to show us getting on the plane, getting through customs, and getting to the places where the animals are—the whole nine yards. It’s a way to show people how they can do this on their own.”
Just stay away from those beavers, for goodness sake.
———
TO GO
Jack Hanna
2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6
Lincoln Center, 417 Magnolia St., Fort Collins
$28-$30. Call 221.6730 or go to www.lctix.com
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