Which Animals Made “Daktari” Famous?
Set in a game preserve in Africa, “Daktari” did have human characters. Chief among these were vet Dr Marsh Tracy (Marshall Thomson) and his daughter Paula (Cheryl Miller.) They were assisted in their efforts to look after the local wildlife (and save them from poachers) by conservationist Jack Dane (Yale Summers) and African helper Mike Makula (Hari Rhodes.) However, what kept children watching this programme from 1966 to 1969 was the cast of animals. These were varied, but the most famous regulars were Clarence the cross-eyed lion (who originally had his own show) and Judy the mischievous chimp (viewers didn’t know that the charming Judy had a tendency to bite her colleagues; while filming a different show, she actually got so aggressive that all her teeth were taken out.) Daktari (from the Swahili word for Doctor) was actually filmed in a wildlife park near Los Angeles.
