Jack Hanna Visits Bethany
By SHELLEY HANSON
POSTED: October 4, 2007
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Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and host of ‘‘Into the Wild,’’ brought a cheetah, a baby snow leopard, a red tailed hawk and several other exotic animals to the school.
At one point during the program, Hanna asked if anyone was afraid of snakes. He immediately noticed student Katy Reuning sitting in the bleachers hiding her face with her hands. However, there was no escape. As the crowd cheered, Hanna took Reuning by the hand and coaxed her to a makeshift stage in the gymnasium. One of his animal handlers revealed a coffee can, and Hanna asked Reuning to stick her hand into it, which she steadfastly refused to do, again covering her face.
Instead of a small snake, however, the plastic pail contained giant cockroaches. Relieved there was no snake, Reuning sort of embraced the big bugs, even touching one resting on her shoulder. As she was admiring her new crawling friends, however, a large python was sneaked up on stage behind the girl, who cried out upon sight of it.
Perhaps determined to help her overcome her fear of the reptile, Hanna convinced Reuning to give the butter-colored creature a quick pet before she hopped off the stage.
Hanna, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., recited a variety of facts about each animal displayed, many of which are rare or endangered.
‘‘The second largest smuggling in the country is of animals,’’ Hanna noted, while showing off a hyacinth macaw parrot, which was more than a foot tall and colored a bold blue.
‘‘If you buy a parrot, make sure it’s domestically raised,’’ Hanna added, noting people should always inquire as to where all their pets come from.
Other animals displayed included a bearcat, an African penguin named Barney, a three-banded armadillo, a dingo, a palm civet, a baby alligator and a clouded leopard.
Hanna noted the clouded leopard of Asia for many years was hunted for its pelt, which sells for up to $80,000. Many of its hunters, however, have been very poor children who would only receive a fraction of that price in payment.
‘‘They’re one of the most rare cats in the world,’’ Hanna noted.
He also talked briefly about his early love of animals. His latest project involved visiting the gorillas of Rwanda with his family, a once in a lifetime experience, he noted.
‘‘I try to bring animals of the world to people in a fun way,’’ he said.
