The family of beloved figure “Jungle Jack” Hanna shared that the former zookeeper has been diagnosed with “advanced” Alzheimer’s disease and can’t remember some of his own children.
Hanna, who resigned as director emeritus of Ohio’s Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in December 2020, has dealt with the disease since 2019. He’s credited with building the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium into one of the nation’s preeminent zoo destinations. He also gained national attention on David Letterman’s late shows, “Good Morning America,” and his Emmy-winning animal show series that is still broadcast on television.
“The Jack people knew isn’t here anymore, but pieces of my husband are. And I’m going to hang onto them for as long as I can,” his wife of 54 years, Suzi Hanna, told The Columbus Dispatch.
The couple shares three daughters, Kathaleen, Suzanne, and Julie. They say Hanna only remembers his wife and their dog, Brassy, plus sometimes can recognize his eldest daughter Kathaleen.
“He just stopped remembering who I was in all ways. Whether it was in person or by phone, he had no idea I was his daughter,” Suzanne told the outlet. “I think it’s because he didn’t see me as much because I got married so young and I moved away.”
“My husband is still in there somewhere,” Suzanne said of his condition. “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.”
Hanna’s wife said that taking care of Hanna is “real hard some days, but he took care of me all those years, and so it’s my turn to take care of him.”
One anchor of routine in Hanna’s life is his daily two-mile walks with Suzanna. “I want to hold on to these walks as long as I can,” she told the outlet. “I remember the day this all officially started. The day the doctor told us what it was. I’ve just tried to hang on to the little pieces of Jack since then.”
The zookeeper’s family members also told The Columbus Dispatch why they decided to reveal details of their experience with Hanna’s declining health.
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“If this helps even one other family, it’s more than worth sharing Dad’s story,” Kathaleen told the publication. “He spent a lifetime helping everyone he could. He will never know it or understand it, but he is still doing it now.”
“He only retired due to the Alzheimer’s,” she said. “He was embarrassed by it. He lived in fear the public would find out.”
Kathaleen is convinced her father “would have worked until the day he died” if he could have.
“I just want it to be your dad and I for as long as I can,” Suzanne said, addressing her daughters. “The river, the sun, Brassy, our walks. That’s what we have left.”