>>VIC MICOLUCCI: TODAY MARKS THE 16TH NATIONAL ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY HERE LOCALLY. THE
JACKSONVILLE ZOO AND GARDENS
HOUSES MANY ENDANGERED
SPECIES, WHICH YOU CAN SEE
LIVE AND IN PERSON JOINING US
THIS MORNING TO TALK ABOUT
WHAT ZOO EXPERTS TO TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY ARE PROTECTED,
HAPPY AND HEALTHY. OUR
FRIENDS, MAMMAL EXPERTS,
ASHLEIGH NELSON AND JEN
MCCABE, THANK YOU BOTH FOR
COMING ON.
>> THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. AND
I NOTICE THAT YOU’VE GOT SOME
FRIENDS BEHIND YOU AS WELL.
WELL, THERE ARE HIGH. THEY’RE
A LITTLE CAMERA SHY, BUT THEY
SHOULD BE BACK THERE RIGHT?
>> THEY ARE THAT THEY’RE
ACTUALLY HERE. WE’RE GOING TO
TRY TO ZOOM IN ON
>> THERE’S THE LEMURS THEY’RE
JUST HANGING OUT THERE LIKE,
HEY, WE WANT TO BE ON TV THIS
MORNING. I LOVE IT. SEE THE
PERSONALITY RIGHT THERE. SO
THE JACKSONVILLE ZOO AND
GARDENS. IT IS GREAT.
OBVIOUSLY SO MANY OF OUR
VIEWERS HAVE BEEN THERE. WHAT
DOES THE ZOO HAVE TO DO WITH
CONSERVATION? WHAT IS THE ROLE
THAT THE EXPERTS THERE PLAY
DAY IN AND DAY OUT?
>> SO WE DO A LOT FOR
CONSERVATION. WE ACTUALLY
SUPPORT OVER 45 PROGRAMS
GLOBALLY. SOME OF THOSE
PROGRAMS ARE A LITTLE LAYUP
AND KNOW MANATEE
REHABILITATION THAT CUE THE
OKAPI CONSERVATION PROJECT.
AND SINCE WE ARE EXACTLY AND
GARDEN, WE ALSO PROTECT A LOT
OF ENDANGERED PLANTS AS AND
ONE OF THE TYPES OF ANIMALS.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THAT THE ZOO
AND GARDENS HAVE THAT ARE
ENDANGERED RIGHT NOW.
>> SO WE GET DANGEROUS SPACES
HERE. MANY THAT ARE PART OF A
COLLABORATIVE BREEDING HAVE
THAT WE HAVE THE MORE GREVY’S
THE STRIKE NEW IS ONE OF THE
RAREST IN COLLECTION AND WE
ALSO HAVE KARA SET OUT. AND
DAN AND I WORK DIRECTLY WITH
THAN IT WAS. AND IT WAS THAT
YOU CAN BET HERE. ALL RIGHT.
SO ALL OF THESE REALLY AT A
CRITICAL TIME.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: IN THEIR
LIVES TO UNION, YOU HAVE TO DO
EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE SAFE.
SO YOU’VE GOT THE LEMUR
EXHIBIT. TELL US MORE ABOUT
THOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE THEY’RE
REALLY SPECIAL ANIMALS.
>> YEAH, IT ENDANGERED MAMMALS
IN THE WORLD. SO THEY ARE VERY
SPECIAL WE HAVE 5 HERE. WE
HAVE RETAIL, THE OBVIOUSLY HOW
TO GET IT RIGHT NOW. AND THEN
WE ALSO HAVE OUR NEW LIFE.
>> OKAY, WONDERFUL. SO JUST A
LOT OF DIFFERENT SPECIES RIGHT
THERE. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT
A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T THINK
THAT LEMURS ARE IN DANGER,
RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY’RE AT A
LOT OF ZOOS. BUT BUT REALLY, I
MEAN, WE ARE AT A CRITICAL
TIME WHEN IT COMES TO
>> RIGHT. AND THEY ALL SO IT’S
US. MOMENT THE SMALL PAY FOR
ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT SPECIES
SO I THINK THAT IS VERY
IMPORTANT. AND THEY’RE THEIR
DUE TO LOSS. PEOPLE ARE GOING
IN THERE AND YOU THINK IT FOR
AGRICULTURE AND THEN ALSO
THEIR GENETIC DIVERSITY OF
THIS GREAT. IT COULD BECAUSE
REALLY THEY SOME OF THE
INDIVIDUAL POPULATIONS. SO,
YOU KNOW, THINK YOU SEE RAIN
EVERYWHERE. BUT THERE’S SO
MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES THAT
THEY ARE VERY AND OBVIOUSLY
PEOPLE WATCH OUR NEWS SHOW
KNOW THAT WE’VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT THE CRISIS.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: WITH THE
MANATEES HERE IN FLORIDA, SO
MANY OF THEM DYING AT RECORD
RATES. MANATEES OBVIOUSLY
SWITCHING FROM ENDANGERED TO
PROTECT IT. BUT STILL, YOU
KNOW, A BIG PART OF OUR
ECOSYSTEM HERE IN FLORIDA AND
ALSO A BIG PART OF THE
JACKSONVILLE ZOO.
>> YES, THERE OPENED,
REHABILITATION CENTER HERE IN
THAT 2007. AND WE JUST HAD OUR
30TH THAN A YEAR EARLIER THIS
YEAR. SO WE ARE LOOKING
FORWARD TO IT. CONTINUE MAKING
A DIFFERENCE TO A
REHABILITATION CENTER HERE.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: WHAT’S IT
LIKE BEING ABLE TO COME FACE
TO FACE TO BOND WITH
ENDANGERED SPECIES THAT, YOU
KNOW, ARE FEWER AND FEWER IN
NUMBER ACROSS THE WORLD.
♪
>> OUR JOBS ARE KIND OF DREAM
JOB. I THINK WE’RE ALL ANIMAL
LOVER. SO TO GET TO HELP THESE
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES
DRIVE IN OUR CARE AND
HOPEFULLY IN THE FACE TO THEIR
WILD COUNTERPARTS, IT’S JUST
AN AMAZING FEELING TO A CASE.
YEAH. AND MEMBERS AND MAKE
THAT LOVE ANIMALS MUCH YOU
LOVE ANIMAL AND I JUST GOT TO
TELL YOU, IF WE GET BACK TO
THAT SHOT OF YOU, TOO.
>> A LEMUR LITERALLY WAS LIKE
PHOTO BOMBING. YOU VIDEO
BOMBING, YOU JUMPING IN THE
BACK POPPING IS ONLY FOR A
SECOND OR 2, BUT IT IS IT WAS
REALLY COOL. SO THEY’RE LIKE,
YES, THANK YOU. YOU. THANKS
FOR SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON
US. WE’LL HAVE TO FIND THAT
CLIP. MAYBE SLOW MO IT, BUT
CERTAINLY THAT IS THANK YOU
BOTH FOR COMING ON. THANK YOU
TO ALL OF THE OTHER EXPERTS,
ALL OF OUR BUDDIES OVER THERE
AT THE JACKSONVILLE ZOO AND
GIVE ONE OF IF ONE OF THOSE
LEMURS A HIGH-FIVE FOR ME.