El Pasoans will get a chance to meet an alligator, a large lizard and other animals up close and personal during a visit by noted zookeeper, conservationist and television personality Jack Hanna.
Hanna will do a show tomorrow, Sept. 28, at the Plaza Theatre, 125 Pioneer Plaza, in Downtown. He’ll talk to people, show his favorite clips from his television show, “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild,” and display some live animals.
Hanna said his El Paso appearance will not be a “highfalutin’ conservation show.”
“The world is a beautiful place. Yes, we have some problems,” Hanna said in a phone interview. “But we’re making great strides.”
People are tired of “gloom and doom,” he said.
His show will be a lively, fast-paced time that’s designed to be memorable and informative, he said.
A tentative list of animals that Hanna will show includes a 6-foot alligator, a python, an African civet (a catlike creature known for producing a musk scent), a red tegu (a large South American lizard) and other exotic species.
The animals will come from an organization called Animal Edutainment in Aubrey, Texas, instead of being transported from Columbus, Ohio.
Hanna is the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo. He gained a national following from his frequent television appearances on shows such as “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Good Morning America,” “Larry King Live,” and others.
Besides his numerous guest TV appearances, Hanna has hosted two syndicated television shows of his own.
His latest, “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild,” debuted in October 2007. Previously, he hosted “Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures” for more than 10 years.
Audience members should not be afraid of the live animals on display, said Renee Neuert, executive director of the El Paso Zoological Society. Her group is organizing the event as a fundraiser, and proceeds will benefit the El Paso Zoo’s programs.
“The animals are used to being in public,” Neuert said. “You can’t pet them; they’re wild animals. But they’re used to being transported, used to being in shows and used to being used for educational purposes.”
The show is suitable for families and especially children, Neuert said.
“Jack wants to inspire good stewards of our planet,” she said.
He’ll have video cameras and he’ll show close-ups of the animals. For instance, he’ll show how an alligator’s eye works, Neuert said.
“Even though it’s a school night, it’s educational,” Neuert said.
Hanna will also greet audience members in the lobby of the Plaza Theatre before the show. He’ll be there with a golden eagle named Takota from the El Paso Zoo.
Hanna sees his role as an educator and ambassador for the nation’s zoos.
About 142 million people went to the nation’s 220 accredited
zoos and aquariums in 2009, Hanna said.
“That’s better attendance than NASCAR, football, all that stuff,” Hanna said. “That shows how important zoos are for educating people about wildlife.”
Animal-rights groups like to criticize zoos, Hanna said, and say that animals should stay in the wild.
“But 95 percent of animals in zoos come from other zoos,” he said. “I bet you didn’t know that. If it wasn’t for zoos, a lot of animals wouldn’t be around in the future.”
The nation’s zoos also contributed $36 million to $40 million to animal conservation causes last year, he said.
Rick LoBello, the education curator at the El Paso Zoo, said Hanna has a passion for animals and anyone who attends his show will come away inspired.
“How often do we have someone of his stature visit El Paso?” LoBello asked. “People need to realize we don’t get this opportunity very often.”
Westsider Kandice Diaz plans to take her 3-year-old daughter, Sophia, to see Jack Hanna’s El Paso appearance.
“We’ve seen him on TV before,” Diaz said. “I like how hands-on he is with the animals. He also engages with the audience very well.”
Her daughter is “super crazy” about animals, so this is a can’t-miss show for them, Diaz said.
“I think it will be a lot of fun, especially for my daughter,” she said.
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