I say, “Tom, I’m not tattling on anybody. “I’m just trying to help the people.” And sure enough, he doesn’t even get mad. He just goes his nice way. How’s, that’s why Tom’s here, he’s like a godsend to me, right. It’s like the Lord provided me Tom Stalf. I… Read More
I told him the very same story. I’ve had, but I’ve gone through not one, not two, at least several dozen of these kids have passed on, but they spent their life, not because of me. They sit there and got to hold a penguin, smile for the probably the… Read More
You don’t think that’s powerful of what we do?… Read More
Now I encourage every zoo director. Remember that when you’re in this business. Go to your front gate and watch who comes in your gate, watch the joy on their faces, watch, you don’t even have to question them when they left your zoo. I know when people leave here,… Read More
I mean, that’s powerful. She died eight days later and that’s, that’s the epitome of what I do. Of what I brought the joy. I get emotional right now. That’s the epitome of what anybody could do. As far as what I’m concerned, you’ve, I don’t know if I’ve already… Read More
What’s the most incredible thing you remember, Jack, at the zoo all your life?… Read More
Then I let her hold a, held the penguin for her. So I went to wash your hands cause she was gonna hold a baby cat. I think it was a little serval. I was gonna wash your hands, her father looked, his, that father looked at me and goes,… Read More
I mean, a father was telling me the good Lord will wash her hands?… Read More
He didn’t want our hands washed?… Read More
Look at, zoos don’t have to, you don’t have to judge the zoo by the size, by the way. Some of you be, oh my God, my zoo’s 800 acres, my zoo’s this. Oh the wilds is 10,000, whatever. I don’t judge, when I go to zoos, help zoos, I… Read More
You know, let me tell you one quick story. I know we’re running behind, but I have to tell this story, because this is why I work here. About six months ago, a lot of kids with special wishes come here, and people with last wishes come here. If you… Read More
She said, “but all she wants to do is meet you “and maybe see one of your animals.” They came from a, like, I don’t know if it was Kansas, or where it was, flew in here. She came up here, she was in a wheelchair, this little girl. Her… Read More
You can’t get accredited unless you take care of your frigging zoo, and it’s still, I’m sorry, a few zoos today just ain’t getting it, because they’re not doing any better. And even some of them, I can’t go back to anymore. I’ll have a zoo once, twice, but the… Read More
Most incredible zoo. Fort Wayne, you saw Fort Wayne Zoo. Unbelievable. You don’t have to be, you don’t have to be 40 acres. You don’t have to be 10 acres. Zoo people need to know this. You don’t have to be like the Columbus Zoo, 600 acres. Look at Lincoln… Read More
If you’re a tackle, you tack, you, I’m sorry, an offensive tackle or guard, you block the guy in front of you first. If you get him, then you go help with the other guy. Read More
So what do you do in the zoo world?… Read More
You darn well better take care of your community and your zoo first then yes, you have the AZA that you have to appoint to. Some people reverse that whole thing. I mean, very few, but some of them get all confused. We gotta live, Mr. Board, and Miss and… Read More
Also as zoo director, don’t forget who your people are. Don’t forget something. And again, no one respects the AZA more than Jack Hanna, nobody. Remember something, you don’t work for the AZA, you don’t work for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. You work for the people that pay… Read More
And that’s fine. But by golly, when you have taxpayers paying their hard-earned money for you, then you do what you do. But you obviously have to be like a, you’re a dentist, your American Dental Association, you’re lawyer, Bank and Barr Association. That’s not rocket science, but I see… Read More
You know what I did?… Read More