Jack Hanna reaches advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease, family says

Alzheimer’s disease is continuing to take its toll on one of the nation’s best-known and beloved zookeepers.

Jack Hanna, who became famous for appearing on talk shows with animals by his side, has reached an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s, his family said.

Hanna, 77, served as director of the Columbus Zoo from around 1978 through 1992 and was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019. The progressive disease is the most common form of dementia and typically causes memory loss and language issues and can eventually affect a person’s ability to carry out activities that are part of daily life, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

“We wish we had good news to share, but Jack continues to decline and has all the symptoms one would anticipate with advanced Alzheimer’s. Each day, we do our best to find joy – even when things are challenging. We hope that sharing Jack’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s brings awareness to the disease that affects almost 7 million Americans and their families,” the family said in a prepared statement to The Dispatch and People Magazine.

In 2023, the Hanna family allowed the Dispatch to visit the famed zookeeper at his Bigfork, Montana home. Hanna, who called Columbus home for years and was still associated with the zoo, said at the time that he had no memory of whether he’d been to Ohio’s capital city.

The Dispatch’s visit marked the first time the Hanna family has spoken publicly about their struggle with Alzheimer’s. The family said they wanted to speak out to raise awareness about the disease that afflicts an estimated 6.7 million people in the United States, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“We are so grateful for the love, support, and privacy Central Ohio has shown to Jack and our family since his diagnosis. Jack cherished this community, the Zoo, and The Wilds,” the Hanna family recently told The Dispatch. “Our thoughts are with the many families also impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.”

Jack Bushnell Hanna is a retired American zookeeper and a director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. “Jungle Jack” was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevating its quality and reputation.

Jack Bushnell Hanna (born January 2, 1947) is a retired American zookeeper and a director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. “Jungle Jack”[3] was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevating its quality and reputation. His media appearances, particularly with David Letterman, James Corden, Good Morning America, and Maury Povich have made him one of the most notable animal experts in the United States. A 2021 documentary, The Conservation Game, alleged that Hanna participated in the mistreatment and private trade of exotic and endangered animals.

Career

Although unable to secure zoning as a zoo for his family’s farm, Hanna and Suzi opened a pet shop and petting zoo. In 1972, a three-year-old boy was mauled by a lion at Hanna’s farm and lost an arm after slipping past the protective barrier.^[4][5] Hanna settled a later lawsuit out of court, shut down the petting zoo, and moved his family to Florida.^[6]

From 1973 to 1975, Hanna worked for a wildlife adventure company and directed the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. When he was offered the position at the Columbus Zoo in 1978, one of the reasons he accepted was because he believed Columbus Children’s Hospital had the best treatment available for his daughter Julie’s leukemia. She recovered by the age of six, although she needed to have a brain tumor removed later in life. At the time he became the zoo’s director, the grounds of the zoo were unkempt and the facilities run down. Hanna initially struck many as a “zealous” zoo director, often traveling around the zoo grounds after closing to personally pick up trash. He also realized the importance of increasing the profile of the Columbus Zoo in central Ohio to get more public support and funding, and the “everyman”-seeming Hanna proved to be very well-suited to public relations for the zoo. From 1981 to 1983, Hanna hosted a local television program, “Hanna’s Ark”, which aired on the local CBS affiliate in Columbus, WBNS. Hanna’s live animal demonstrations on Good Morning America and David Letterman’s talk show incarnations brought national attention to the Columbus Zoo as well as to Hanna himself. Over the course of Hanna’s tenure as director, the zoo made the transition from cage-like enclosures to habitat environments, and the grounds were significantly expanded. The annual attendance of the Columbus Zoo increased by over 400% during this time. Hanna was named director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in 1992.^[7]

Hanna published his autobiography, Monkeys on the Interstate, in 1989. He has published many books for children as well. He has hosted the syndicated television shows Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures, Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild, and Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown, all produced and distributed by Litton Entertainment. Hanna also occasionally contributed commentary as an animal expert on various local and national news programs, and has done guest spots on other shows such as Larry King Live, Nancy Grace, Maury, and The Hollywood Squares. On September 25, 2003, Jack made a special guest appearance on an episode of Blue’s Clues (season 5, episode 35, “Animals in Our House?”). He was also named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People” by People magazine in 1996.^[8] Hanna also appeared in Neal McCoy’s 2005 music video for “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On” with a hyacinth macaw, a sloth and an albino burmese python. Hanna, along with Emmy Award-winning musician Mark Frye, released an album through Virgin Records in 1996 entitled Jack Hanna’s World.

He was granted honorary doctorates from Muskingum University, Otterbein College, Capital University, and Ohio University.

On October 19, 2011, Hanna assisted Ohio police in tracking down several escaped exotic animals near Zanesville, Ohio. He provided police assistance with expertise in tracking down the animals, which included lions, leopards, wolves, primates, bears, and eighteen tigers.^[6]

In May 2018 at the Los Angeles Zoo’s annual Beastly Ball, Hanna received the Tom Mankiewicz Leadership Award for his work in conservation.^[9]

In June 2020, Hanna announced his retirement from the Columbus Zoo effective at the end of the year.^[10]

Famed Zookeeper Jack Hanna ‘Continues to Decline’ Due to Alzheimer’s, Family Says: ‘Things Are Challenging’ (Exclusive)

“Each day, we do our best to find joy,” the family of Jack Hanna tells PEOPLE

Jack Hanna, the charismatic zookeeper and television personality who gained national fame as director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, is continuing to deal with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

The family of the 77-year-old, who was diagnosed with the disease in October 2019, tells PEOPLE in a statement that his symptoms have continued to progress.

“We wish we had good news to share, but Jack continues to decline and has all the symptoms one would anticipate with advanced Alzheimer’s,” the family says. “Each day, we do our best to find joy – even when things are challenging.”

“We hope that sharing Jack’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s brings awareness to the disease that affects almost 7 million Americans and their families,” they add.

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease that is caused by complex brain changes following cell damage. It progressively affects memory, thinking and behavior seriously enough to interfere with daily tasks.

In June 2023, Hanna’s wife Suzi and daughters Kathaleen, Suzanne, and Julie told The Columbus Dispatch that he only remembers his wife, his dog Brassy, and, occasionally, his eldest daughter Kathaleen.

“The Jack people knew isn’t here anymore, but pieces of my husband are,” Suzi, who has been married to Hanna since 1968, explained. “And I’m going to hang onto them for as long as I can.”

“My husband is still in there somewhere,” she said at the time. “There are still those sweet, tender moments — you know, pieces of him that made me and the rest of the world fall in love with him. It’s hard. Real hard some days. But he took care of me all those years, and so it’s my turn to take care of him.”

Hanna, also known as “Jungle Jack,” served as director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium from 1978 to 1992. He officially retired from his conservation duties late 2020.