He’s been to Africa 50 times. Today, he comes to Syracuse. ‘Jungle Jack’ Hanna will appear on the Goldstein Auditorium stage tonight at 7 p.m. to discuss environmental issues and conservation – and show off some exotic animals.

The event will feature an hour-long session with Hanna in which he will show clips from his trips to Africa and work with gorillas and a question-and- answer period, including an exhibition of rare animals, such as a spotted-leopard cub.

‘It’s a fun speech and a very fast-paced show,’ Hanna said. ‘I love to do colleges, and everyone from families and 3 to 80-year-olds enjoy the shows.’

Born in Knoxville, Tenn., Hanna has spent a lifetime traveling the world after getting his start working for his family’s veterinarian. Since then he has seen the world from 14,000 miles up while standing next to a group of Nepalese people in Langtang Valley, explored Africa with gorillas and Kalahari bushmen and navigated the Amazon jungle.

‘I love what I do,’ Hanna said. ‘I’ve seen animals that some can only dream of, learned about the world, seen the world and shown others what the world can be. Life is a dream.’

Daily Orange: What are your goals during your environmental talks to students?

Jack Hanna: To learn in a fun way about animals that they’ve never seen before and to learn about earth in fun way. I want listeners to take away an idea of what type of career I have and what they could do. Also, what it will take to fix everything that we’ve messed up in the environment.

DO: How could someone do what you do as a career?

JH: You have to always be working toward it by exploring, learning and being curious about the world. There are so many types of careers like mine. You can travel the world.

DO: What are some of your memories of being on television?

JH: I enjoy the bloopers from Letterman. Ellen is a fun show because she loves animals. Letterman though, is an interesting guy, but it’s a show that takes a lot of work. We want to give a conservation message in a fun way. I’ve enjoyed ‘Good Morning America’ and worked with Diane Sawyer, Charles Gibson…everyone.

DO: What has been your most embarrassing moment in your career?

JH: Getting bitten by a beaver on Letterman. That was not fun.

DO: What do you think is the most important and pressing issue facing the college generation?

JH: People need to understand that the world is very small. What we do in our country affects others who live elsewhere. Baby boomers did more damage than today’s generation to the environment, and we’ve got to come up with concrete possibilities for change. Recycling, walking more, supporting wildlife causes. In Africa, women go four to six miles to get water and then carry it back on top of their heads. I figure I can save water. It’s interesting to see how college students view the environment and the issues facing them. This generation is going to turn stuff around.

DO: How can this generation turn the world around and improve it?

JH: Education is of the utmost importance. Work during the summer, volunteer with animals. There’s so much you can do in this field to get involved, and if you’re not looking to do what I do, just learning about the Earth is key.

Published on February 10, 2008 at 12:00 pm