SLIPPERY ROCK — Jack Hanna says his motto is to “touch the heart, teach the mind” by educating people about animals.

There were plenty of “aahs” and much applause Wednesday night at Slippery Rock University indicating that he may have achieved his goal.

Hanna, the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and longtime television host, appeared before a crowd of several hundred people in Morrow Field House. The lecture was sponsored by SRU’s program board.

He talked about his humble beginnings, his travels around the world and showed off several animals including a Canadian lynx, a snow leopard, a two-toed sloth, a bearcat and a lemur.

The final animal of the show was an adult cheetah. Though they are the fastest land animal, with top speeds of 70 mph, cheetahs are endangered. One reason is that they are solitary animals that are vulnerable to attack or having their freshly killed prey stolen by other animals.

Hanna shared his tips about what to do when encountering a grizzly bear in the wild. Most bear attacks are not necessarily the bear’s fault as they are not “man-eaters.”

“They don’t know you’re a man. They’re just out there being an animal,” he said.

Running away or making sudden movements could spook a bear in the wild. In the Rocky Mountains it is advisable to carry bear spray, a chemical similar to pepper spray, in case of emergencies.

But most bears will leave people alone if they just stay calm and stand still. Another trick is to leave a backpack on the ground, which the bear will usually become more interested in than the person.

Hanna, 68, said he has been doing fewer public appearances and hopes to retire in a couple of years. He used to do 120 public appearances a year in addition to filming television programs such as “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild” and “Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown.”

Now he is down to about 50 appearances a year and tries to visit small towns like Slippery Rock and remote areas where there are likely to be people who haven’t been to a zoo and don’t get many chances to see exotic animals.

Despite his name and face being seen around the world, he doesn’t feel like a celebrity or a television personality, he said.

“I am who I am on TV,” he said. “I just try to teach about animals in a fun way.”

Hanna grew up on a farm near Knoxville, Tenn., and started volunteering at a veterinarian’s office when he was 11. Though he got rejected from seven colleges after high school, he was able to attend Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, and eventually landed a job at the Columbus Zoo in 1978.

Since he arrived, it has grown to be the largest zoo in North America.

But he had to overcome some challenges along the way. His parents died before they could see the extent of his successes, and his daughter Julie had a rare type of leukemia as a child.

“Life is wonderful, but there are situations in life you will have to overcome,” he said.

In an interview before his lecture, Hanna talked about how public interest in zoos is at an all-time high.

The Columbus Zoo had 3.1 million visitors last year, making it the single largest attraction in Ohio. Nationwide, zoos get 176 million visitors a year.

He said he was not familiar with the Living Treasures Animal Park in Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence County, and owner Adam Guiher’s plan to construct a safari park in Mercer County, but he could see it being successful.

The Columbus Zoo operates a 10,000-acre animal park called The Wilds which aims to give animals a living space similar to their natural habitat.

“Driving through that is the feeling you get when you go to Africa, so hopefully this will turn out for you guys because you’ve got beautiful country around here You’ve got woods, hills and everything else. I wish the guy the best,” he said.

Having more zoos is good because they operate species survival programs and often work together to prevent endangered animals from going extinct. About 98 percent of animals in zoos are not captured from the wild, but are born at other zoos or in captivity, he said.

“The zoo world is a whole new business right now. We’re in the business of saving animals and educating people.”