Cedar Point’s Jungle Larry and Safari Jane Show
1964-1994
It’s been 15 years since many of us last saw Nancy “Safari Jane” Tetzlaff-Berens of Cedar Point’s Jungle Larry and Safari Jane Show. The attraction, which featured exotic cats, was a Cedar Point favorite for years and even continued for another decade following Larry Tetzlaff’s death in 1984.
But when the Sandusky amusement park’s ever-expanding collection of rides started closing in on Safari Island, Tetzlaff-Berens decided to move the operation to the Caribbean Gardens facility in Naples, Fla., she and her husband founded in 1969.
“Cedar Point never sleeps,” she explains. “When the park closes, the night crews come. They’re working on every ride all night long, they’re cleaning, and so the animals really were not getting enough rest.”
The move allowed Tetzlaff-Berens and her sons to focus on the Florida facility without the interruption of summers in Sandusky.
She was the president and CEO of Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, now a nonprofit organization, until about 2005 when her son David became executive director.
Nancy’s retirement in 2006 hasn’t slowed the 71-year-old, who is now married to Robert C. Berens. She still pops in from time to time to attend board meetings, special events and other zoo functions.
“She’s just as busy as when she worked,” David Tetzlaff says. “I never can see her slowing down.”
Tetzlaff-Berens says visitors often recognize her from her Cedar Point days when she and her husband brought park visitors up close with some of the world’s largest and most fearsome cats.
“We always tried to bring out the beautiful, handsome, good characteristics of an animal,” she says.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
For Thomas--David Tetzlaff's mother, Safari Jane.
Jungle Larry & Safari Jane
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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4 comments:
It is great to see the words about Safari Jane, a former boss of mine. Dennis J.Younger
Ps. Wade, your blog just gets better and better.
Dennis,
It would be wonderful to sit down with all the former Caribbean Gardens alumni. The jackpots would be thick and heavy, would they not. Larry and Nancy truly loved, and dedicated themselves to the animal kingdom.
Wade
Yes Wade.
We could all sit and tell each other how we loved performing in the four cornered,covered, den of fury.
Wish I had a snapshot of the expression on my face when I first saw that thing.
One story: The chimps were quite ill in the winter of 1978. Day after day I saw them going down hill. As gentle as I could I ask Larry if he was thinking about calling the vet. The reply was not something I expected. "We will pray for them."
I guess just to be sure the chimps would heal soon, he called the vet the next day.
Your right, Larry and Jane took excellent care of all the animals. Those chimps knew the engine sound of the vets pickup and would raise hell without even seeing the truck yet. Dennis
Dennis,
Larry was a very devout man. I was told it was an "odd" religion. Do you remember his limp? I believe it was his left leg. It tied in together with his devoutness, a tale relayed to me by Uncle Joe, the old black grounds gardener whom had been with Larry for some time.
Wade
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