Jack Hanna again puts animals on center stage in Merced
Zoologist Jack Hanna returns to Merced with his cavalcade of fur and feathers.
About a year after his first visit, Hanna is set to again bring wildlife to the Merced Theatre stage at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9. Last year’s show sold out, according to organizers.
During the show, Hanna, 69, will introduce the audience to some of the world’s animals and share stories and exclusive footage from his worldwide adventures.
He has worked at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio for more than 35 years and currently serves as its director emeritus. He has spent the past three decades traveling and touring, exposing the animal world.
“Touch the heart and teach the mind, that’s the reason why I do these shows,” Hanna told the Merced Sun-Star last year.
Hanna is perhaps best known for bringing wildlife on talk show sets, where he tries to educate viewers about the creatures. Raised on a farm in Tennessee, Hanna has said he fell in love with animals while working for his family veterinarian at the age of 11.
Touch the heart and teach the mind, that’s the reason why I do these shows.
Jack Hanna told the Merced Sun-Star last year
Hanna has appeared on “The Late Show With David Letterman” “Good Morning America,” “Larry King Live,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Hollywood Squares,” “Entertainment Tonight,” Fox News and CNN programs and various other news programs.
“The animals that I bring on television are ambassadors to their cousins in the wild, and are cared for by professionals,” Hanna wrote on his website.
In the early ’90s Hanna started Partners in Conservation to benefit the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. In 1993 he began hosting “Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures,” a nationally syndicated television series. After more than decade with “Animal Adventures,” he created a new TV series, “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild” in 2007, according to his website, www.jackhanna.com.
Tickets are $24 to $39 and are available at the box office, 301 W. Main St. For more, call 209-381-0500 or go to www.mercedtheatre.org.
KNOW AND GO
Jack Hanna’s ‘Into the Wild’ Live
When: 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Merced Theatre, 301 W. Main St.
Cost: $24 to $39
This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Jack Hanna again puts animals on center stage in Merced."