Go On Safari with Tim Tetzlaff in September 2012

Born to Teach
In 1972 at the age of four with his father and older brother off on safari in East Africa and his mother in the states overseeing zoo operations, Tim Tetzlaff was already talking to zoo guests about his growing knowledge of the animal kingdom. From that early age, Tim has continued to build a life on communicating the wonders of the animal kingdom to others.

And he had some great role models. His parents, Lawrence and Nancy Jane Tetzlaff, (also see www.junglelarry.com) were well-known explorers who had traveled the Midwest doing educational presentations on wild animals and the need for conservation for groups from school children to state Supreme Court Justices. By the time Tim started speaking, he had audiences of up to a million each summer at the Cedar Point theme park in Ohio as well as the guests to the more serene garden environment in Naples, Florida.

The Education of a Lifetime
Like his older brother, David Tetzlaff, Tim spent his youth working in the zoos. From preparing balanced diets to maintaining their father's thorough cleaning protocols, the Tetzlaff boys learned the hard work of caring for animals from reptiles to elephants. But Tim also spent many summers on the trails and paths speaking with guests one to one about the animals and the issues affecting them in the wild. In his late teens, Tim began caring for the big cats including, like David, venturing into direct contact with the tigers, lions, and leopards although on a much more limited scale than his brother.

Formal Education
During the mid-1980s and again in the 90s, Tim took time away to attend The Ohio State University where he received his two degrees. During breaks and in the intervening years, Tim returned to both zoos to do educational presentations focusing on the exotic animals. After receiving his degree in education, he returned to the Naples location where over the next two years, he and David would collaborate on the most innovative conservation based educational program yet. To make their dream reality, Tim taught himself the world of computer graphics and then contacted wildlife conservation groups and private photographers for graphics, wildlife images, and video. Cooperation came from a broad spectrum of domestic sources as well as contacts in Australia, India, and Africa. What emerged was "Safari Canyon" - the first and still only presentation of its kind in the U.S. featuring living animals complemented by stunning wildlife footage giving audiences an accurate understanding of the animals and the issues affecting them in the wild. And although he has contributed to the growth of the Zoo and its conservation programs in a variety of ways, standing with brother David hosting Safari Canyon for two years was the highlight of his educational career to date.

Educating for the Future
Today, Tim runs his full time conservation education efforts from his office in Ohio. Through monthly visits to the Naples Zoo and multiple daily phone conversations, Skype, and e-mails, he keeps in touch with the Zoo while updating the web site, preparing marketing and advertising materials, producing the next conservation partnership, researching the latest information from the field, or updating Safari Canyon graphics.

Tim is also the Public Awareness Advisor for the Madagascar Fauna Group and has served on the Conservation Education Committee as well as the Public Relations Committee and other ad hoc committees as needed for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

In 2008, Tim and his brother David enjoyed a thrilling trip to Namibia's northern Kalahari where they spent an unforgettable few weeks traveling and enjoying the hospitality of a former warden of Etosha National Park and his family.

He returned to the continent in 2010 as host for a classic African Safari through Kenya and Tanzania including some extraordinary time up in the alpine desert on Mount Kilimanjaro. (Shown at left at Shira 1 Camp on Kilimanjaro). Tim was thrilled he finally got to see the sights his father and brother saw in 1972 when he had to stay back home. Experiencing the wonders of the Ngoronogoro Crater,the Serengeti, Mount Kenya, and the Masai Mara and getting to know the people in those areas was a blessing he will long remember.

If you'd like to join Tim on his next safari to Africa, Naples Zoo is offering a new itinerary to Tanzania which departs September 2012. See the full itinerary from Serengeti to Zanzibar.