When Ralph Helfer and Marshall Thompson had a guest star on this show, they would tell him three things: Don't make a sudden movement, don't make a loud noise, and don't approach the animal until someone who knows more than you do has 'read' him and knows what mood he is in."
They wanted Tana Helfer, Ralph Helfer's daughter, to play the little girl in the pilot episode because she was able to ride Folsom the Zebra so well, but Tana hated acting.
The hippopotamus which appeared uncredited was portrayed by "Lu". In 2023, at 62 years old, he is still alive and resides at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Florida. Lu was so beloved by locals that he was made an honorary Florida citizen by Governor Lawton Childs.
Daktari is Swahili for "Doctor".