His curiosity about wildlife began at an early age. When he was a young boy he began collecting snakes. It is said that at one point his parents found a rattlesnake in his bedroom. That was certainly an eye-opener for them but it was only the beginning of an interest that would take him around the world and result in his pioneering work in the preservation of exotic animals and their respective habitats from and for manunkind.

He was born Lawrence Erskin Tetzlaff on the 31st day of July 1919 in Kalamazoo Michigan. During his teen years he was industrious and opened a reptilium in the 60 acre Milham Park on the south side of the city. The park had created a small zoo in 1927 and it served the best interests of the boy not to mention those of his family.

During his early years at Michigan State University Tetzlaff wrote a paper detailing a method to use to induce imported snakes to eat domestic food. It was 1939 and Frank "Bring 'em Back Alive" Buck was operating an exhibit at the World's Fair in New York City. After reading the paper Buck offered Tetzlaff a job. It was with Buck that he gained additional experience working with various types of other animals and where he began his world travels.

After leaving Buck's employ Tetzlaff traveled to Florida where he worked milking snakes for their venom. The serum made from the venom was used as an antidote for snake bites received by soldiers fighting in the jungles on the islands in the Pacific during WWII.

At about this same time Hollywood began to notice the tall dark animal trainer. In short order the 20 year old was hired to handle the animals used in Tarzan movies as well as to act as a stunt double for 5 time Olympic Gold Medal winner Johnny Weissmuller. Tetzlaff appeared in 3 Tarzan Movies over the years. He was listed in the credits of these movies and although they were hardly Academy Award winning productions they thrilled thousands and thousands of Tarzan fans (like myself) through the years and are still available today.

After the war and the Tarzan flicks he returned to the Midwest to share his knowledge of the animal kingdom with audiences of all ages and professions. This is when and where the man who came to be known as "Jungle Larry" happened on to little Vermilion. It is also where and when I best remember him.

To my knowledge Tetzlaff once lived in two different areas in our town; first Elberta Beach; and later on Woodside Road in the Sunnyside area. I guess I was just about 10 when I first came across him in Bill and Dorothy Litman's Newstand (where J.A. Berk & Associates is located today). Both his voice and his general presence stole my immediate attention and admiration. Here was a man just come back from the jungles of Africa. Here was a man who actually knew Tarzan Lord of the Jungle. Here was a man who would pet lions, wrestle crocodiles, and talk with apes. Here was a man who was larger than life itself.

In truth he was all those things I imagined and none of them. But there are several things for sure. He was a terrific animal trainer/handler, and he had a terrific personality. For the lack of a better place he often kept his animals at his home. There are more than a few folks who can tell stories about him walking his big cats around the yard, or having been surprised while attending a party in his home by seeing a boa constrictor stick it's head out of a shoe box. And it was not unusual for him to greet his neighbors by draping a snake around the neighbor's neck to the horror of her companions.

For a short time he ran a small animal exhibit at Crystal Beach Park here in Vermilion. In 1955 he ran a miniature zoo at Kiddieland in Huron featuring 32 different types of animals. In his spare time he toured the schools all over Ohio with his menagerie sometimes logging over 35,000 miles a year. He traveled to both Africa and South America nearly 50 times in 25 years to film wildlife and collect animals. By 1968 he was a regular contributor to local television as well. He was featured on the Noon Show at WEWS every Tuesday.

In 1964 Cedar Point offered him and his wife, Nancy "Safari" Jane, space for a temporary exhibit at their park in Sandusky. It was a temporary placement that lasted over 30 years entertaining over a million guests per season. On September 1, 1969 Jungle Larry and Safari Jane opened the Caribbean Gardens in Naples Florida where, after closing their Cedar Point exhibit in 1994, they planned to retire to do their best work. In 2001 this facility was rated in the top 10% of all our nation's zoos.

Unfortunately, "Jungle Larry" was never to enjoy this retirement and final success. He had taken his final safari on the 6th of February 1984 at the age of 65 years. As Jack Hanna, Columbus Zoo Director, aptly put it, "When you think of Jungle Larry, you think of a man and his family who literally dedicated their lives to exotic creatures of the earth." The only thing I might add to this is - thanks. Thanks for the memories.

(Ref: Chronicle Telegram, 6-23-55; Coshocton Tribune, 10-20-68; An Interview With Nancy Tetzlaff; www.cedarpoint.com; caribbeangardens.com; Ancestry.com; Who's Who In Hollywood; David Ragen, 1992; and Special Thanks to Tim Tetzlaff, and Larry Houff)

Published in the Vermilion Photojournal on 3-25-04

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© 2006 Rich Tarrant