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				Paradise Lost? Invasive species, including humans, threaten to forever alter the landscape of the Galapagos.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: THROUGHOUT THE ARCHIPELAGO. WITH PEOPLE CAME ANIMALS THAT WOULD NEVER HAVE MADE IT HERE ON THEIR OWN: CHICKENS, DOGS, CATS.. GOATS, PIGS, CATTLE. TODAY THERE ARE STRICT RULES GOVERNING WHERE PEOPLE AND THEIR ANIMALS CAN LIVE. 96% OF THE LAND IS NATIONAL PARK OFF-LIMITS TO ANYONE NOT ACCOMPANIED BY A GUIDE LIKE LYNN FOWLER. BUT WHILE PEOPLE CAN BE CONTROLLED THE ANIMALS THEY'VE BROUGHT WITH THEM CAN'T. WE'RE CLIMBING A PEAK OVERLOOKING SANTIAGO ONE OF THE FOUR ISLANDS ON DARWIN'S ITINERARY. Fowler: WHEN DARWIN CAMPED THERE... THAT'S ALL SANTIAGO OVER THERE? YEAH-- THERE WERE SO MANY LAND IGUANAS ON IT THAT HE COULD HARDLY FIND A PLACE TO PITCH HIS TENT BECAUSE OF THE LAND IGUANA BURROWS. ( chuckles ) BUT THEY'RE EXTINCT NOW. THEY'RE EXTINCT FROM SANTIAGO. THOSE... REALLY? WELL, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? DOGS AND PIGS... AND RATS. THEY GO RIGHT INTO THE... THE RATS ATTACK THE IGUANAS? THEY GO IN THE LAND IGUANA BURROWS AND EAT THE EGGS AND KILL THE LITTLE HATCHLINGS. Alda: ONE OF THE GALAPAGOS NATIVES WORST HIT BY HUMANS AND THE ANIMALS THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM IS THE GIANT TORTOISE. ORIGINALLY DECIMATED BY WHALERS HAULING THEM OFF FOR FOOD THEY HAVE SINCE HAD TO COMPETE WITH PIGS AND GOATS THAT HAVE GONE WILD AND RUN RAMPANT OVER MANY OF THE ISLANDS. ( tortoise hissing ) 30 YEARS AGO, THE POPULATION OF THE CHARACTERISTICALLY SADDLE-BACKED TORTOISES OF ESPAŅOLA WAS DOWN TO JUST 13-- 12 FEMALES AND A MALE. BROUGHT HERE TO THE CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION ON THE ISLAND OF SANTA CRUZ, THESE 13 TORTOISES-- AIDED BY A SECOND MALE RECRUITED FROM THE SAN DIEGO ZOO-- HAVE SINCE PRODUCED HUNDREDS OF OFFSPRING. LAVISHLY FED AND KEPT SAFE FROM RATS UNTIL THEIR SHELLS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT THEM THE YOUNGSTERS HERE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO A LONG LIFE. LET ME JUST CURVE HIM IN. HERE WE GO. ( laughing ) DON'T BE SHY. HE'S HOW OLD? THIS ONE'S ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF OLD. AND HOW OLD WILL HE GET TO BE IF HE'S LUCKY? WELL, WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT THEY LIVE BETWEEN 60 AND 90 YEARS OLD BUT HISTORY BOOKS AND STORIES THAT ARE A BIT DIFFICULT TO CONFIRM SAY ANYTHING UP TO 150, 200 YEARS. Alda: THE PROJECT OWES ITS SUCCESS LARGELY TO THIS MAN, CRUZ MARQUEZ WHO WITH HIS COLLEAGUES HAS HAD TO INVENT THE CAPTIVE-BREEDING PROCESS AS THEY WENT ALONG. A CRITICAL REALIZATION WAS THAT THE SEX OF THE HATCHLINGS DEPENDS UPON THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THE EGGS ARE INCUBATED... ONE'S COMING OUT, HUH? Alda: 29. 5 DEGREES CELSIUS GIVES YOU FEMALES; 28 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND YOU GET MALES. SOUNDS LIKE YOU MUST HAVE TO HAVE A PRETTY SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM HERE TO KEEP THE TEMPERATURE WHAT YOU NEED IT TO BE. WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLY SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM. WE HAVE A HAIRDRYER CONNECTED TO A THERMOSTAT HERE, ON CONTINUOUS CYCLE. Alda: DESPITE THE SHOESTRING BUDGET THE CAPTIVE-BREEDING PROGRAM HAS RESULTED IN SOME 800 ESPAŅOLA TORTOISES BEING RETURNED TO THEIR NATIVE ISLAND. MAKING THIS POSSIBLE WAS AN AMBITIOUS AND SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM AIMED AT RIDDING THE ISLAND OF GOATS THE TORTOISES' MAIN COMPETITOR FOR RESOURCES. BUT MANY OF THE ISLANDS, INCLUDING THE BIGGEST, ISABELA REMAIN OVERRUN WITH GOATS AS WELL AS PIGS. THEIR ERADICATION IS A PRINCIPAL GOAL OF PEOPLE TRYING TO PRESERVE THE ISLANDS' UNIQUE BIOLOGICAL HERITAGE-- PEOPLE LIKE THE DARWIN RESEARCH STATION'S HOWARD SNELL. WE'RE COMING IO ELIZABETH BAY OFF THE COAST OF ISABELA THE LARGEST ISLAND IN THE GALAPAGOS AND THESE ARE THE MARIELAS ISLETS. Alda: BUT FOR SOME INTRODUCED SPECIES ERADICATION IS ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE. RATS, FOR INSTANCE, HAVE BEEN IN THE GALAPAGOS AS LONG AS SHIPS HAVE VISITED HERE. THEY APPEAR TO HAVE INVADED THE MARIELAS ISLANDS ONLY RECENTLY BUT NOW MAY BE THREATENING ONE OF THE GALAPAGOS'S MOST UNEXPECTED INHABITANTS. Snell: PENGUINS IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ARE THE NORTHERNMOST PENGUINS IN THE WORLD. SO IT'S A UNIQUE KIND OF PENGUIN. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE PENGUINS IN GALAPAGOS AREN'T DOING PARTICULARLY WELL. WHEN EL NIŅO EVENTS COME INTO THE ARCHIPELAGO WHICH HAPPENS EVERY SO OFTEN, THE WATERS GET VERY, VERY WARM AND THE NORMAL FISH LIFE AROUND HERE BEGINS TO DIE OFF. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, PENGUIN POPULATIONS CRASH. IN 1982-'83, THEY CRASHED BY OVER 50%. THIS LAST YEAR, '97-'98, THEY CRASHED AGAIN. AND THE THING THAT CONFUSES US IS THEY DON'T RECUPERATE AFTER THOSE CRASHES. NOW, THAT WORRIES US, BECAUSE, OF COURSE IF THE POPULATIONS CRASH EVERY SO OFTEN AND NEVER RECUPERATE THEY CAN GO EXTINCT. Alda: HOWARD SUSPECTS RATS ARE THE CULPRITS INVADING THE ROCK CREVICES WHERE PENGUINS LAY THEIR EGGS AND RAISE THEIR CHICKS. SO HE'S CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE THE PENGUINS-- SHORT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE TASK OF RIDDING THE GALAPAGOS OF RATS ENTIRELY. Snell: NOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS USE THESE ISLANDS-- THESE SMALL ISLANDS-- AS MODELS FOR THE REST OF THE GALAPAGOS. AND WE'RE REMOVING THE RATS, BY POISONING THEM FROM SOME OF THE ISLANDS AND LEAVING THEM ON OTHERS. THE IDEA IS TO TRY AND MEASURE HOW FEW RATS WE CAN REMOVE TO INCREASE PENGUIN REPRODUCTION. THAT WAY WE CAN INVEST ENOUGH MONEY TO INCREASE PENGUIN REPRODUCTION BUT NOT SO MUCH MONEY THAT WE CAN'T DO OTHER THINGS ALSO. IT'S REALLY ABOUT TRYING TO DIVVY UP LIMITED RESOURCES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE BIOLOGY OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. Alda: THOSE RESOURCES MAY BECOME A LITTLE LESS LIMITED IN THE FUTURE, THANKS TO THE LATEST ALIEN SPECIES TO INVADE THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: ECO-TOURISTS, WHO COME BY THE THOUSANDS EACH YEAR. THESE TOURISTS BRING IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR THE TOUR OPERATORS BUT UNTIL RECENTLY, LITTLE OR NOTHING FOR THE WILDLIFE. NOW THAT'S CHANGING. Man: THERE ARE ABOUT 60,000 PEOPLE A YEAR WHO VISIT THE GALAPAGOS AND I'M OF THE BELIEF THAT THOSE 60,000 PEOPLE CAN BE A MAJOR PART OF THE FUTURE IN THESE ISLANDS AND THAT COMPANIES LIKE OURSELVES WHO BENEFIT AND INDEED PROFIT FROM BEING ABLE TO BRING THESE VISITORS HERE ARE IN THE POSITION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND IN THE LAST YEAR, IN THE YEAR SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE WE'VE RAISED ABOUT $200,000 FROM OUR GUESTS AND WHEN YOU THINK THAT WE REPRESENT FIVE PERCENT OF TOURISM TO THESE ISLANDS AND IF YOU MULTIPLY THIS KIND OF AN ACTIVITY TIMES 20 ALL OF A SUDDEN, TOURISM COULD, IN FACT, SUSTAIN PLACES LIKE THE CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION AND THE NATIONAL PARKS AND THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE SO MUCH FOR FUNDING. Alda: BUT THERE'S AN IRONY HERE. TOURISTS BRING IN NOT ONLY DOLLARS; THEY'VE ALSO ATTRACTED THOUSANDS OF ECUADORIANS TO THE ISLANDS TO WORK IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. TOGETHER, TOURISTS AND RESIDENTS POSE A NEW THREAT TO THE ISLANDS' ECOSYSTEM. Snell: BECAUSE THERE ARE 16,000 TO 20,000 PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS FIVE SUPPLY SHIPS RUN OUT HERE TWO OR THREE TIMES A MONTH EACH AND THERE ARE THREE 727s A DAY THAT FLY INTO THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. ALL OF THAT ACTIVITY BRINGS IN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MATERIAL. TONS AND TONS AND TONS OF FOOD AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL COME TO THE GALAPAGOS EVERY YEAR. SOMEWHERE IN THOSE PACKAGES ARE THE INTRODUCED SPECIES OF TOMORROW. IT'S NOT PURPOSEFUL NOWADAYS BUT IT'S EVERY BIT AS DAMAGING AS IF IT WAS. Alda: I'VE COME TO SEE FOR MYSELF ONE OF THE WORST OF THESE ALIEN INVADERS. CHARLOTTE CAUSTON OF THE DARWIN RESEARCH STATION IS SHOWING THE WAY. WHAT ARE ALL THESE LITTLE WHITE THINGS? OKAY, THESE ARE THE COTTONY CUSHION SCALE. IT'S AN INTRODUCED SCALE INSECT THAT WAS INTRODUCED IN 1982 INTO THE ISLAND OF SAN CRISTOBAL AND HAS SINCE THEN SPREAD TO NINE OTHER ISLANDS IN THE ARCHIPELAGO AND ATTACKS OVER 40 PLANT SPECIES. HMM... IN THE ABSENCE OF ITS NATURAL ENEMIES IT'S JUST GONE HAYWIRE. HOW WAS IT INTRODUCED? WE'RE NOT SURE. WE THINK IT WAS INTRODUCED IN SOME ACACIA TREES THAT WERE IMPORTED TO THE ISLANDS BUT THEN AGAIN, IT COULD HAVE BEEN SOME CITRUS. AND IT WAS DEFINITELY ON A PLANT AND ACCIDENTALLY INTRODUCED. NO ONE BROUGHT IT IN ON PURPOSE. Alda: THE COTTONY CUSHION SCALE IS ONE OF HUNDREDS OF NONNATIVE INSECTS THAT HAVE RECENTLY SNEAKED INTO THE ISLANDS AND CHARLOTTE IS ONE OF ONLY TWO ENTOMOLOGISTS. IF YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER THEM SPECIES BY SPECIES FIND OUT WHAT THEY DO, WHAT HARM THEY CAUSE AND THEN HOW YOU CAN PROTECT AGAINST THEM-- AND BY THE TIME YOU FIND THAT OUT ABOUT ONE SPECIES YOU'VE PROBABLY GOT ANOTHER 300 ON YOUR LIST. THAT'S RIGHT. HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL? IT'S DAUNTING, THE PROSPECT. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT FACE THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS CAN APPEAR OVERWHELMING, AND IN FACT, THEY ARE OVERWHELMING BUT THE ONE THING THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE MOTIVATED TO CONSERVE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS KEEP AT THE FOREFRONT ALL OF THE TIME IS THAT THIS IS REALLY ONE OF THE LAST OCEANIC ARCHIPELAGOS IN THE WORLD WHERE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAINTAIN A PRISTINE ENVIRONMENT. THERE ARE... 95% TO 96% OF THE SPECIES THAT EVER OCCURRED IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ARE ALIVE TODAY. SOME OF THEM ARE IN A BAD STATE. SOME OF THEM MAY GO EXTINCT BEFORE TOO LONG IF WE'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL AT RESTORATION EFFORTS FOR THEM. BUT THE POINT IS, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE. THE WORLD, ACTUALLY-- IT'S NOT JUST ECUADOR; IT'S NOT JUST THE RESEARCH STATION; IT'S NOT JUST THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE BUT THE WORLD HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN A PRISTINE STATE. NOW, NOW, WHAT ABOUT THIS? WHY SHOULD ANYBODY ELSE, WHO'S NOT A SCIENTIST, CARE ABOUT PRESERVING THE GALAPAGOS? IF THE GALAPAGOS DISAPPEARS AS A UNIQUE PLACE-- IT'S RUN OVER BY INTRODUCED SPECIES-- SO WHAT? THERE'S A GENETIC... A BANK OF GENETIC INFORMATION AND IT CAN BE SQUANDERED OR IT CAN BE PRESERVED IN ITS CURRENT STATE. THE ANALOGY IS OFTEN MADE WITH A LIBRARY-- THAT YOU WOULDN'T GO INTO A LIBRARY AND WANTONLY DESTROY A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF TO MAKE SHELF ROOM, YOU KNOW, TO PUT KNICKKNACKS ON. WELL, HERE, WE'VE GOT CREATURES THAT HAVE BEEN COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS TO PARTICULAR PROBLEMS FOR A LONG, LONG TIME AND THERE'LL BE PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE THAT WILL NEED SOME OF THOSE SOLUTIONS. THEY'RE HERE; WE SHOULD PRESERVE THEM. I THINK IT'S ALSO A PLACE OF JOY AND INSIGHT INTO NATURAL PROCESSES AND YOU CAN'T REALLY PREDICT WHAT PEOPLE WILL FIND HERE IN THE FUTURE. BUT LIKE, DARWIN WAS INSPIRED BY THIS LABORATORY OF EVOLUTION AND I THINK MANY PEOPLE WILL IN THE FUTURE. AND YOU CAME BECAUSE YOU FIND IT INTERESTING. SO I THINK IT REALLY WILL CONTINUE TO BE A LAB OF EVOLUTION WHERE YOU CAN REALLY SEE THESE PROCESSES HAPPENING. THIS OTHER GUY WENT UNDER. THERE HE GOES! OH, THERE HE GOES. GREAT, BRAVO. Alda: IT WAS LATE ONE AFTERNOON AFTER LYNN AND I HAD BEEN OUT SNORKELING THAT THE MAGIC OF THE GALAPAGOS-- ITS ABILITY, AS MARTIN SAID TO PROVIDE JOY AND INSIGHT-- CRYSTALLIZED FOR ME. HERE WE WERE ON THE EQUATOR, TALKING TO PENGUINS WHOSE ANCESTORS CAME FROM THE ANTARCTIC. IN SPITE OF THE WAVES AND THE RAZOR-SHARP ROCKS WE WERE MESMERIZED. Fowler: WALKER IN FRONT. AREN'T THEY CUTE HOW THEY WALK? HE'S GOING TO GO BACK FOR SOME FISH. HE'S HUNGRY. YOU KNOW, TO GET THAT CLOSE TO PENGUINS, AND... IT'S AN EXPERIENCE I'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE AND IT'S REALLY A SENSATIONAL EXPERIENCE BUT YOU'RE OUT HERE ALL THE TIME. WHAT'S IT LIKE FOR YOU? THAT'S WHAT I SAID THE OTHER DAY WHEN YOU ASKED ME WHY I WAS STILL HERE AFTER 20 YEARS-- IT'S INCREDIBLE, ISN'T IT? SOMETHING HAPPENS DIFFERENT EVERY SINGLE DAY. YOU NEVER GET TIRED OF THESE ISLANDS. Alda: CHARLES DARWIN SPENT JUST FIVE WEEKS IN THE GALAPAGOS AMAZED, AS IS EVERY VISITOR BY THE TAMENESS OF THE ANIMALS AND BIRDS, AND BY A SENSE OF BEING IN A WORLD APART, IN TIME AND IN SPACE. BUT WHAT STAYED IN HIS MIND LIKE A SLOW-BURNING FUSE WAS THE SAME CREATURE OR PLANT TURNING UP IN DIFFERENT FORMS EVEN DIFFERENT SPECIES, ON DIFFERENT ISLANDS-- A CIRCUMSTANCE, HE WROTE IN THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE "THAT STRIKES ME WITH WONDER": "IT IS THE FATE OF MOST VOYAGERS "NO SOONER TO DISCOVER WHAT IS MOST INTERESTING IN ANY LOCALITY "THAN THEY ARE HURRIED FROM IT; "BUT I OUGHT PERHAPS TO BE THANKFUL "THAT I OBTAINED SUFFICIENT MATERIALS TO ESTABLISH "THIS MOST REMARKABLE FACT "IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIC BEINGS. "REVIEWING THE FACTS HERE GIVEN, ONE IS ASTONISHED AT THE AMOUNT "OF CREATIVE FORCE, IF SUCH AN EXPRESSION MAY BE USED DISPLAYED ON THESE SMALL, BARREN AND ROCKY ISLANDS.

				Environmental Decade 10 years of work to save endangered species and restore threatened ecosystems -- coral reefs, forests, mountains, deserts, tundra.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: THEY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO STUDY THE WILD PLACES OF THE EARTH-- THE CORAL REEFS, THE FORESTS, THE DESERTS AND MOUNTAINS WHICH ARE HOME TO AN ENORMOUS AND STILL UNCOUNTED, DIVERSITY OF CREATURES. OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW THAT THOSE PLACES ARE COMING UNDER INCREASING PRESSURE FROM US-- FROM HUMANS-- BUT AS WE'VE REPORTED, IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD A FEW HUMANS ARE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. IN 1989, HURRICANE HUGO SLAMMED INTO SOUTH CAROLINA. IT DESTROYED ALMOST EVERY NEST SITE OF THE RARE RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER WHICH NESTS ONLY IN MATURE PINES. THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY PROGRAM TO MAKE ARTIFICIAL SITES FOR THE 700 BIRDS LEFT ALIVE. IT WAS A CLASSIC DEMONSTRATION OF HOW VULNERABLE SPECIES BECOME ONCE HUMAN PRESSURE HAS HEMMED THEM IN. IN ST. JOHN, I SAW SOME OF THE CORAL DISEASES THAT ARE APPEARING WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY AROUND THE WORLD. THESE WHITE PATCHES ARE ONE SYMPTOM. Alan: WHEN I SEE THE WHITE STUFF DOWN THERE, WHAT AM I LOOKING AT? IT'S AS IF WE LOST EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR OUR BONES SO THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE ANY FLESH ON IT. Alda: AN INSPIRED PIECE OF SCIENTIFIC DETECTIVE WORK TRACED THE DIE-BACK OF CORAL SEA FANS TO A SOIL FUNGUS, BLOWN ACROSS THE ATLANTIC FROM NEWLY CREATED AFRICAN FARMLAND. THE SEA FANS WERE DEPRESSING, BUT THE SCIENCE WAS WONDERFUL. ( laughing ): I LOVE IT! SCIENCE! Alda: IN THE BOOMING RESORT TOWN OF EILAT ON THE RED SEA OUR STORY SHOWED HOW DIRECT WEAR AND TEAR FROM THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS' FEET IS DESTROYING THE SHALLOW REEF. BUT TO COMPENSATE, JUST DOWN THE COAST BIOLOGISTS HAVE SUBMERGED LARGE STEEL FRAMES AS THE BASIS FOR ARTIFICIAL REEFS. THE FIRST COLONIES OF MARINE LIFE HAVE MOVED IN. IN NEWFOUNDLAND THE SAD SPECTACLE OF A RARE HUMPBACK WHALE THAT HAD DIED TRAPPED IN A FISHING NET WAS TEMPERED BY THE DEDICATION OF THE BIOLOGISTS. OH, JEEZ WATCH OUT, I'M GOING IN. OH, OKAY IS THAT COMING OUT? WELL, I THINK FOR A SCIENTIST IT'S JUST AMAZING HOW THIS HUGE ANIMAL WORKS. WE ONLY UNDERSTAND IT VERY POORLY. AND IT'S A RARE PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO GET INSIDE OF IT. Alda: JON LIEN, ONE OF THE WORLD'S LEADING WHALE RESCUE EXPERTS HAS RELEASED HUNDREDS OF TRAPPED WHALES IN THESE DANGEROUS, NEAR-FREEZING WATERS AT CONSIDERABLE PERSONAL RISK. IN ST. THOMAS, I MET ANOTHER DEDICATED BIOLOGIST WHO WORKS WITH SEA TURTLES. ZANDY HILLIS PATROLS NESTING BEACHES, PROTECTS NESTS AND REGULARLY CHECKS UP ON EVERY ONE OF THE ADOLESCENT TURTLES THAT HANG OUT ON THE REEF IN HER AREA. ( laughing ) Alda: IN CHINA, I MET A LONE YANGTZE RIVER DOLPHIN. Alda: CHI CHI IS THE ONLY DOLPHIN-- RIVER DOLPHIN-- IN CAPTIVITY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD? CHI CHI IS THE ONLY BAIJI IN CAPTIVITY IN THE WORLD. I SEE. OKAY, WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT, DON'T GO AWAY. HERE, HERE... OKAY. Alda: IT'S TOUCH AND GO NOW FOR THESE ANIMALS ALTHOUGH SPECIES CAN BE BROUGHT BACK FROM THE BRINK AS HAS HAPPENED WITH THE GREAT BUSTARD. ITS GRASSLAND HABITAT HAS GIVEN WAY TO FARMLAND BUT ONCE AGAIN, A CAMPAIGN RUN BY A FEW DEDICATED ENTHUSIASTS HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE WITH YOUNG BIRDS NOW REGULARLY RELEASED BACK INTO THE WILD. YOU GRAB HIM BY THE WINGS AND THEN YOU GRAB HIM BY THE NECK? Man: IF IT'S CLOSE TO THE FENCE AND IT'S STANDING, MORE OR LESS, THEN IT'S BEST... Alda: I'M DISCUSSING HOW TO CATCH A STORK WITH ANOTHER OF THOSE ENTHUSIASTS. IF IT'S FLYING AGAINST YOU THE BEST IS YOU TAKE IT AS YOU NORMALLY TAKE YOUR WOMAN IN THE EARLY MORNING, AND THEN YOU HAVE IT. THAT'S ALL... ( laughing ) Alda: YOU'LL NOTICE HOW I STAYED OUT OF THAT ONE. STORKS HAVE BIG BEAKS. Man: AH, THIS IS MATURE BIRD. Alda: BUT THERE'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH EUROPE'S STORKS. MANY BECOME EXHAUSTED ON THEIR MIGRATION SOUTH TO AFRICA BECAUSE INTENSIVE FARMING IN EUROPE HAS REDUCED THE FROGS AND MICE THEY EAT. A FEW PEOPLE RUN THIS RESCUE STATION ALONG THE WAY BUT IT'S NOT A LONG-TERM SOLUTION. ( alarm beeping ) IT WAS REMARKABLE TO SEE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE WAKING UP TO THE FACT THAT SO MUCH WILDLIFE-- LIKE EUROPE'S BROWN BEARS-- MUST BE CONSERVED BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. MANGIA, MANGIA. Alda: BROWN BEARS, ONCE COMMON, ARE NOW CONFINED TO A FEW MOUNTAIN STRONGHOLDS. THERE'S A CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAM HERE BUT INBREEDING'S A DANGER, SO GENETIC ANALYSIS IS ESSENTIAL. Alda: WHERE IS HE TAKING THE BLOOD FROM? IS IT FROM THIS VEIN HERE? Man: YES, THE JUGULAR. JUGULAR... JUGULAR. Alda: THESE CHAMOIS MOUNTAIN GOATS ARE TO FORM THE NUCLEUS OF A NEW HERD TO AVOID THE KIND OF VULNERABILITY THAT ALMOST WIPED OUT SOUTH CAROLINA'S WOODPECKERS. OCCASIONALLY ONE OF THESE NERVOUS ANIMALS DOESN'T MAKE IT BUT BIOLOGISTS BELIEVE IT'S A PRICE WORTH PAYING FOR FUTURE SECURITY. OUR STORY ON WHITE RHINO SHOWED HOW INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF ENDANGERED SPECIES REALLY CAN WORK. THERE WERE ONCE 50 WHITE RHINO LEFT, ALL IN THIS PARK. NOW THERE ARE 2,000 HERE, AND 5,000 MORE WORLDWIDE. THEY'RE OUT OF DANGER. IN MANY PLACES, WE FOUND A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF ENTIRE HABITATS. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW FAST THAT'S GOING. Alda: FIRE IS ESSENTIAL IN MANY ECOSYSTEMS TO PROMOTE SEED GERMINATION, FOR EXAMPLE SO MORE AND MORE ECOLOGISTS WERE STARTING FIRES. IN THIS PROJECT SIMULATED LIGHTNING STRIKES WERE JUST THE START. Man: WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING IS SIMULATING A COW'S STOMACH ( laughter ) MAYBE A BUFFALO'S STOMACH. Alda: IT TAKES BUFFALO AND FIRE FOR SOME PRAIRIE PLANTS TO GERMINATE. OUR CAMERAS WERE HERE NINE YEARS AGO AND NOW THERE ARE JUST TEN PRECIOUS ACRES OF PRAIRIE RESTORED TO ORIGINAL CONDITION. AN ARTIFICIAL PRAIRIE DOG TOWN WAS THE SETTING FOR ONE OF AMERICA'S BEST-KNOWN RESTORATION PROJECTS. PRAIRIE DOGS ARE BROUGHT IN SO THAT THE YOUNG BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS BRED HERE CAN LEARN TO HUNT, UNDER THE BIOLOGISTS' WATCHFUL EYE. OVER A THOUSAND OF THE ONCE-ENDANGERED FERRETS HAVE SINCE BEEN RELEASED, NEAR NATURAL PRAIRIE DOG TOWNS. PRAIRIE DOGS-- ONCE REGARDED AS PESTS-- ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE FUTURE OF THE FERRETS AND IN MANY STORIES WE FOUND BIOLOGISTS EAGER ADVOCATES OF THE NEED TO CONSERVE THE LEAST POPULAR WILDLIFE. YES, SCORPIONS HAVE THEIR PLACE, WE WERE TOLD AND SO HAS EVERYTHING ELSE-- EVEN IF IT DOES ATTACK MICROPHONES. Man: GRAB THAT TAIL FOR ME. Alda: GRAB THE TAIL... DO YOU HAVE THE HEAD? OH, THE TAIL IS SHAKING! THE TAIL IS SHAKING! Alda: IN THIS STORY I LEARNED THAT EVERY SQUARE MILE OF ARIZONA DESERT SHELTERS OVER 2,000 RATTLESNAKES AND THEY JUST WANT TO GET AWAY. AND AFTER RATTLESNAKES... Alan: IT'S A GIGANTIC HEAD... Alda: THE PRODUCERS THOUGHT I SHOULD TRY SHARKS. IT'S BITING THE BOAT. THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WHAT YOU SAID BEFORE ABOUT NOT BITING THINGS THAT AREN'T FOOD. WELL, THAT'S THE GREAT THING ABOUT SCIENCE-- IT'S A WORLD OF DISCOVERY. DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IF YOU RUB HER TUMMY? I MEAN, DOES THAT HELP HER QUIET DOWN? I DON'T KNOW. BUT, YOU KNOW IT'S A VERY, VERY COMMON PHENOMENON IN ALL VERTEBRATES THAT... OH, GEE... OH, BOY. THAT'S WHY I'M... NOW I'M PLAYING THE PART OF RICHARD DREYFUS. WHAT, WAS HE BUSY TODAY? Alda: IMPLANTED RADIOS ALLOWED THE SCIENTISTS TO FIND OUT THE SHARKS TRAVELED ROUTES EXTENDING HUNDREDS OF MILES. ARRIVA... RAPIDO. Alda: IN OUR STORIES ON UNDISTURBED ECOSYSTEMS WE SHOWED WHAT'S BEEN DISCOVERED IN RECENT YEARS ABOUT THE ASTONISHING DIVERSITY OF NATURE. RAIN FOREST STUDIES LIKE THESE NOW HAVE SCIENTISTS CONVINCED THERE MAY BE 30 MILLION DIFFERENT SPECIES ON THE PLANET. IN OUR MOST RECENT EPISODE ABOUT THIS ASPECT OF NATURE WE VISITED THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. IT'S ONE OF THE LEAST DISTURBED PLACES ON EARTH-- STILL LITTLE CHANGED FROM DARWIN'S TIME. THE GALAPAGOS ARE AN IMPORTANT NATURAL LABORATORY WHERE FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH ON EVOLUTION IS CONTINUING TRACING THE ADAPTATION OF FINCHES' BEAKS TO CHANGING FOOD SUPPLIES, FOR EXAMPLE. THE ISLANDS ARE A NATURAL PARADISE. Alan: HELLO. MY PROBLEM IS I NOT ONLY SAW E. T., I ALSO SAW JURASSIC PARK. Alda: WE TOLD THE STORY OF THE MARINE IGUANAS. THEY WERE DEVASTATED IN 1997 AND '98 WHEN EL NINO BROUGHT WARM WATERS TO THE SHORES. 90% OF THE IGUANAS PERISHED WHEN THE ALGAE THEY EAT DIED OFF. THE FOOD SUPPLY HAS SINCE RECOVERED. IT WAS EVOLUTIONARY PRESSURE THAT THE SPECIES MUST HAVE GONE THROUGH MANY TIMES BEFORE. Alda: WHY DO WE SEE SO MANY SMALLISH IGUANAS HERE? THEY SOMETIMES HAVE THESE HUGE ALGAE PASTURES AND THEY JUST GET A MOUTHFUL OF ALGAE EVERY BITE. BUT HERE THEY ONLY HAVE A TINY LITTLE CARPET OF ALGAE WE FILMED ANOTHER FAMOUS STORY OF UNVARNISHED NATURE HERE IN A MASKED BOOBY COLONY. ONE CHICK VIOLENTLY EXPELS THE OTHER FROM THE NEST. ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS INEXPLICABLE, IT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THE FEMALE CAN ONLY ADEQUATELY FEED ONE. IN THE FUTURE ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT PLACES LIKE THIS FROM THE POWERFUL HUMAN PRESSURES THAT TAKE THEIR TOLL IN SO MANY OTHER PLACES?

				The Green Invader Alien weeds are rapidly invading the Mediterranean, smothering native marine life and threatening livelihoods. A Florida slug might slow the advance.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: ALEX MEINESZ, A BIOLOGY PROFESSOR FROM NICE UNIVERSITY IS TAKING ME OUT FISHING. IN THOSE TEN YEARS HOW MUCH HAS IT INCREASED? Alda: AS WITH THOUSANDS OF PLACES LIKE IT AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA THIS TOWN DEPENDS ON A MIX OF FISHING AND TOURISM FOR ITS LIVELIHOOD. EN PEUT MONTER? OKAY, THANKS. BONJOUR! BONJOUR-- PATRICK. PATRICK-- ALAN. ALEX-- BONJOUR. Alda: WE'RE ON THE VERGE FAMILY BOAT. THE WATERS AROUND HERE HAVE BEEN FISHED FOR GENERATIONS. UNTIL NOW, THAT IS. THEY DON'T FISH HERE ANYMORE. WE HAD TO PERSUADE THEM TO SET THEIR NET OUT LAST NIGHT JUST SO WE COULD FILM THE RESULT. AND THE RESULT IS THIS. Meinesz: CAULERPA. Alda: YEAH. LOOK. OUI, EN ARRET UN PEU, UH? LOOK, AND THIS CAULERPA CLOGS THE NETS AND THE FISH SEE THE NETS AND THERE IS NO FISHES. OH, I SEE. SO IT HURTS FISHING JUST BECAUSE IT... THEY SEE THE NETS. IT CALLS ATTENTION TO THE NETS. Alda: THE WEED, CALLED CAULERPA TAXIFOLIA, DOESN'T BELONG HERE. IT'S A TROPICAL PLANT COMMON IN THE CARIBBEAN AND OTHER WARM WATERS. THE NORTHERN MEDITERRANEAN GETS COLD IN THE WINTER BUT SOMEHOW THE CAULERPA IS SURVIVING AND THRIVING. NOTHING CAN TOUCH IT. Meinesz: WHEN YOU BROKE IT THERE COMES A KIND OF JUICE OUT OF IT, YOU SEE? DOES THAT JUICE HAVE ANYTHING IN IT THAT KEEPS AWAY PREDATORS? YES, ABSOLUTELY. THAT ARE TERPENES, CAULERPANINES. AND THIS IS A KIND OF TOXIC MATTER AND A REPELLENT MATTER. SO THE FISH DON'T EAT IT. SO IT REPELS FISH. SO IN THIS AREA... NOTHING IS A NATURAL PREDATOR. NO! YOU SEE ALL THE LEAVES ARE ENTIRE. NOTHING HAS BEEN EATING IT! NO, NO BITING CREASE. ON Y VA? ON Y VA. HOLY MOLY, HE REALLY JUMPS IN! Alda: ALEX TOOK US INTO THE SHALLOW WATER NEAR THE TOWN'S BATHING BEACH. EVERYTHING BELOW WAS COVERED BY THE CAULERPA-- ROCKS, SAND, MUD. THERE'S NOTHING ELSE DOWN HERE, NO OTHER PLANTS, BARELY A FISH. IT'S A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF AN ALIEN PLANT THAT JUST TAKES OVER. NOTHING EATS IT, AND NOTHING COMPETES WITH IT. IT IS FULL, EH? YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF IT DOWN THERE. ALL THE BOTTOM IS COVERED, EH? THERE'S A LOT THERE! Alda: THE CAULERPA ARRIVED HERE ABOUT NINE YEARS AGO. ADVANCING AT AN INCH A DAY, IT HAS RUINED THE FISHING AND IT'LL SOON CLOG THE TOWN BEACH. IT'S THE SAME DISASTROUS STORY, SPREAD OUT ALONG 1,000 MILES OF MEDITERRANEAN COAST. CAULERPA IS EASILY SPREAD. IT'S CARRIED ALONG IN FISHING NETS AND THERE ARE MILLIONS OF SMALL BOATS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN-- ALL WITH ANCHORS. Meinesz: A LITTLE PIECE LIKE THIS... I PUT THIS IN THE WATER AFTER SIX MONTHS YOU HAVE THREE SQUARE METERS WITH THIS LITTLE PIECE. ANY PART OF THIS? ANY PART, ANY PART. Alda: WITH ITS RAPID SPREAD FROM FRAGMENTS AND ITS COLD WATER SURVIVAL CAULERPA IN THE MEDITERRANEAN IS BEHAVING IN WAYS THAT SHOCKED MARINE PLANT EXPERTS LIKE ALEX. AFTER YEARS OF INVESTIGATION ALEX IS PRETTY CERTAIN HE KNOWS HOW THIS DISASTER HAPPENED. THIS IS THE AQUARIUM AT THE FAMOUS MONACO OCEANOGRAPHIC MUSEUM WHERE JACQUES COUSTEAU WAS ONCE DIRECTOR. IN THE EARLY 1980s, THE MUSEUM ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER EUROPEAN AQUARIA STARTED USING A DECORATIVE AND EASY-TO-GROW PLANT IN THEIR TROPICAL TANKS. THE PLANT WAS CAULERPA TAXIFOLIA. IT'S STILL USED HERE TODAY, AS IT IS AROUND THE WORLD. ALEX BELIEVES THAT SOMEHOW SOME FRAGMENTS OF CAULERPA WERE RELEASED FROM THE TANKS INTO THE SEA. A MUSEUM DIVER FIRST SAW CAULERPA RIGHT OUTSIDE THE BUILDING, ON THE BOTTOM, IN 1984. IT COVERED JUST ONE SQUARE YARD. BY 1989, WHEN ALEX FIRST SAW IT, IT COVERED TWO ACRES. BY 1990, IT WAS AT NEARBY CAP MARTIN NEXT YEAR, TOULON, 100 MILES AWAY AND NOW IT'S FOUND FROM SPAIN TO CROATIA. WITH NO NATURAL ENEMIES TO HOLD IT BACK THE CAULERPA HAS BEEN STEADILY SMOTHERING NORMAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA LIFE. IN THE SHALLOW AREAS, A COMPLEX COMMUNITY OF OVER A THOUSAND DIFFERENT ALGAE, SHELLFISH, WORMS AND FISHES HAS EVOLVED AROUND MEADOWS OF NATIVE SEA GRASS. IN THE DARKER DEPTHS THERE'S A DIFFERENT BALANCE WITH THE GRASS GIVING WAY TO RED SEA FANS. THIS IS THE STEEP, 100-FOOT ROCK WALL OFF CAP MARTIN ONCE A FAVORITE SPOT FOR SCUBA DIVERS. THE FILM IS FROM 1996, SHOT AS THE CAULERPA WAS TAKING HOLD. ALEX HAS BEEN DIVING HERE EVERY YEAR SINCE THE CAULERPA ARRIVED. AS THE ALIEN PLANT ADVANCES, IT BLOCKS OUT LIGHT FROM THE RED SEA FANS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH DIE OFF. ALEX HAS SEEN THE SAME PROCESS REPEATED ALL OVER THE ROCK WALL. DID THIS ALL ORIGINATE WITH THE MONACO AQUARIUM? GENETIC ANALYSIS HAS SHOWN THE CAULERPA IS A MUTANT STRAIN UNIQUE TO EUROPEAN AQUARIA INCLUDING MONACO AND NOT FOUND IN THE WILD. BUT WE'LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE HOW IT FIRST GOT LOOSE. IN THE SUMMER OF 1999, OUR UNDERWATER CAMERAMAN SWAM DOWN THE ROCK WALL AT CAP MARTIN TO RECORD THE PROGRESS OF THE CAULERPA. THE WALL IS NOW COMPLETELY COVERED. THE LAST SEA FANS ARE DYING. THE WALL IS ESSENTIALLY A BIOLOGICAL DESERT. ONCE AGAIN WE'RE LOOKING AT CAULERPA GROWING IN AN AQUARIUM. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE-- IT'S A KIND OF SLUG, AND IT'S EATING THE WEED. THE RESULT-- ALL OVER THE TANK GHOSTLY WHITE FRONDS OF WEED, WITH THEIR TOXIC JUICE SUCKED RIGHT OUT BY THE SLUGS. THE SLUGS ARE BEING STUDIED IN HIS LAB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NICE BY ALEX MEINESZ. IN HIS VIEW, THEY REPRESENT THE SINGLE BEST HOPE FOR CONTROLLING CAULERPA TAXOFOLIA IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. WE'VE JUMPED 2,000 MILES ACROSS THE ATLANTIC TO THE INDIAN RIVER IN FLORIDA. ALEX'S SLUGS CAME FROM HERE, COLLECTED BY CECELIA MILES A MARINE BIOLOGIST FROM FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY. HERE CAULERPA IS EATEN-- AND CONTROLLED-- BY THE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SLUGS AS IT IS FURTHER SOUTH ALL OVER THE CARIBBEAN. THE HOPE IS THAT SLUGS FROM FLORIDA-- THE NORTHERN EXTREME OF THEIR RANGE-- MIGHT BE HARDY ENOUGH TO SURVIVE THE MEDITERRANEAN WINTER. IN THE SUMMER OF '99 CECILIA COLLECTED AND PACKED A BATCH OF FLORIDA SLUGS FOR SHIPMENT TO ALEX IN NICE. THE SLUGS HAD THEIR OWN AIR SUPPLY FOR THE FLIGHT AND WERE ESCORTED ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BY A FRENCH GRAD STUDENT. SEE YOU, CECILIA, BYE, BYE. HERE YOU WERE, A STUDENT OF CAULERPA... Alda: ALEX HAS BEEN STUDYING DIFFERENT SLUGS FOR YEARS. THE FLORIDA BATCH HAD BEEN IN RESIDENCE AT NICE UNIVERSITY FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS WHEN I VISITED. HIS WORK WITH SLUGS AND CAULERPA IS DONE ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET IN A MAKESHIFT LAB BEHIND THE BIOLOGY BUILDING. THE MONACO AQUARIUM CONNECTION MAKES THIS A VERY POLITICAL SUBJECT SO RESEARCH GRANTS HAVE BEEN HARD TO COME BY. SO, YOU'VE GOT A CHANCE TO SEE WHO'S WORKING OUT? YES, COME IN, PLEASE, COME IN. SO THEY'RE IN THERE, I DON'T SEE ANY SLUGS. YES, HERE. OH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. NOW, IS HE EATING NOW? YES, I THINK SO. SO THESE SLUGS REALLY LIKE THAT TOXIC STUFF. YES, THEY NEED THE TOXIC, BECAUSE THEY TAKE THE TOXINS AND THEY STOCK IT IN THEM AND THEN THE FISHES DOESN'T EAT IT. OH, I SEE. SO THE SLUGS USE THE TOXINS TO KEEP THE FISH AWAY FROM THEM! EXACTLY, EXACTLY, EXACTLY. Alda: THE SLUGS HAVE OTHER HIGHLY SPECIFIC ADAPTATIONS TO CAULERPA. THEY NEED CAULERPA CELLS AS PART OF THEIR OWN METABOLISM AND THEY HAVE A SPECIAL TOOTH WHICH MATCHES ONLY CAULERPA CELL STRUCTURE. ALEX ARGUES THAT THE SLUGS ARE SO EXQUISITELY ADAPTED TO THEIR ONE FOOD THAT RELEASING THEM INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN TO CONTROL THE INVASION BIOLOGICALLY WOULD PRESENT A VERY LOW RISK. I ASKED HIM ABOUT THIS. HOW DO WE KNOW THE SLUGS THAT YOU BRING IN WON'T ADAPT AND FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO LIVE IN ADDITION TO CAULERPA? WHEN THE SLUG HAVE NO MORE CAULERPA, THEY CANNOT IN ONE GENERATION SAY, AH, WE SHALL CHANGE OUR TOOTH OUR MOUTH, OUR TOXIN, TO EAT OTHER THINGS. YOU UNDERSTAND? YOU UNDERSTAND? THAT TAKES A LOT OF PLASTIC SURGERY! YOU UNDERSTAND? WHEN THERE IS CAULERPA, THEY EAT CAULERPA. NO PROBLEM, NO PROBLEM. WHEN THEY SEE THERE IS NO MORE CAULERPA, IT IS TOO LATE. Alda: ALEX'S SLUGS MAY BE THE ONLY WAY TO GO. ALL KINDS OF NON-BIOLOGICAL CONTROL METHODS HAVE BEEN TRIED LIKE RELEASING POISONOUS COPPER FROM UNDERWATER ELECTRODES... OR SIMPLY SCRAPING THE WEED OFF... VACUUMING IT UP... FREEZING IT WITH DRY ICE... SCALDING IT WITH HOT WATER... OR CUTTING OFF ITS SUNLIGHT. BUT THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S PRACTICAL ON A LARGE SCALE EXCEPT THE SLUGS. I ASKED ALEX AGAIN, IS IT REALLY SMART TO RELEASE THE SLUGS INTO SUCH A PARADISE OF FOOD? ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY'RE DINING OUT EVERY NIGHT-- THEY'RE GOING TO MAXIM'S EVERY NIGHT-- AND THEY'RE DOING PRETTY WELL. NOW, YOU'RE LIABLE TO HAVE SOME PRETTY FAT HAPPY, HEALTHY SLUGS AROUND, LOOKING FOR TROUBLE. NO, NO. YOU HAVE A PRAIRIE OF CAULERPA WITH MANY SLUGS IN IT AND THEN THEY CONTROL THE CAULERPA AND IT IS FINISHED, THAT WE THINK. BUT WHAT YOU WANT? DO YOU WANT TO HAVE A MEDITERRANEAN SEA FULL WITH CAULERPA WITHOUT ANY CONTROL METHOD? WE MUST HAVE A PREDATOR FOR THIS INVADER. WITHOUT PREDATOR, THE CAULERPA... THAT IS A RISK THAT WE SEE NOW. WE CAN SEE, YOU HAVE SEE IT WHEN WE SNORKELED. YOU SEE WITH THE FISHERMAN. IT COVERED ALL THE BOTTOM AND IT EXPANDS EVERY YEAR. SO, WHAT DO WE DO-- DO WE DO NOTHING? OR DO WE TRY THIS? Alda: IF YOU CAN'T GET RID OF IT, IF THE SLUGS DON'T WORK IF THE SLUGS ARE TOO DANGEROUS, IF THE SLUGS WORK BUT GOVERNMENTS WON'T LET YOU USE THE SLUGS WHAT WILL THE CAULERPA DO? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE MEDITERRANEAN? WHAT HAPPENS IS EXACTLY THE SAME THAT HAPPENED SINCE TEN YEARS-- IT EXTENDS. IT EXTENDS EVERY YEAR, IN NEW COUNTRY, NEW REGIONS. AND WE THINK THAT THIS ALGAE IS ABLE TO COLONIZE MOST OF THE REGION OF ALL THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. Alda:

				The Wilder, the Better Biologists find that zoo animals thrive when able o continue their natural tendencies to forage and play.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: KEEPERS ARE TRYING TO THINK UP NEW WAYS TO ENRICH THEIR ANIMALS' ENVIRONMENT. THIS IS THE METRO TORONTO ZOO, WHERE ONE OF THE ORANGUTANS IS GETTING TO MODEL A NEW T-SHIRT WHILE ANOTHER PREFERS A ROBE. CLOTHING IS SCARCE IN THE RAIN FOREST BUT ORANGUTANS IN THE WILD DO LIKE TO WRAP THEMSELVES IN LARGE LEAVES. TRYING TO MIMIC ASPECTS OF THE WILD EXPERIENCE IN THE ZOO OFTEN INVOLVES HIDING FOOD SO THAT THE ANIMALS HAVE TO SEARCH IT OUT. ZOO KEEPERS HAVE AN INFORMAL NETWORK FOR EXCHANGING ENRICHMENT IDEAS LIKE THIS BUT THE METRO ZOO HAS GONE ONE STEP FURTHER. SUZANNE MacDONALD IS A YORK UNIVERSITY PSYCHOLOGIST WHO'S BRINGING A SCIENTIST'S EYE TO MAKING ZOO ANIMALS HAPPIER. MacDonald: IT SEEMS REALLY SIMPLE TO JUST SCATTER FOOD AROUND AN EXHIBIT OR JUST GIVE AN ANIMAL A T-SHIRT BUT WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH VERY INTELLIGENT ANIMALS LIKE ORANGUTANS OR OTHER SPECIES THAT IS ENOUGH TO STIMULATE THEM TO STIMULATE THEIR INTEREST AND CREATIVITY-- MAKE THEM THINK-- AND CHALLENGING THEM THAT WAY IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF ENRICHMENT. Alda: IT'S TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW ANIMALS THINK SO AS TO KEEP THEM CHALLENGED THAT'S SUZANNE'S SPECIALTY. THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT TO SEE JUST HOW WELL ORANGUTANS CAN REMEMBER WHERE FOOD HAS BEEN HIDDEN. IN THE ORANGUTAN'S PRIVATE PLAYROOM AT THE ZOO SOME JUGS CONTAIN FOOD, WHILE OTHERS ARE EMPTY. KARTIKO SWINGS INTO ACTION. HE'S NEVER PLAYED THIS GAME BEFORE BUT HE LUCKS OUT RIGHT AWAY. GETTING TO THE NEXT JUG INVOLVES SOME TRICKY TRAPEZE WORK WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE ALL FOR NOTHING. SO IT'S ONWARD AND UPWARD. THIS TIME, THE CLIMB WAS WORTH IT. A FEW HOURS LATER SUZANNE HIDES FOOD IN THE SAME LOCATIONS AS BEFORE. MacDonald ( whispering ): THERE HE GOES. Alda: THIS TIME, KARTIKO DOESN'T HESITATE. AND NOW HE SKIPS THE EMPTY JUGS AND GOES STRAIGHT FOR THE ONES THAT HAVE FOOD. KARTIKO RETURNS TO HIS OBSERVERS FOR CONGRATULATIONS BUT THEN HE'S JOINED BY ANOTHER ORANGUTAN, DINAR. DINAR CHECKS AN EMPTY JUG BUT THEN BEATS KARTIKO TO HIS FAVORITE FULL ONE. WHAT INTERESTS SUZANNE IS THAT KARTIKO DOESN'T SEEM ANNOYED-- REGRETFUL PERHAPS, BUT NOT MAD. ( MacDonald chuckles ) TO SUZANNE, THE WHOLE EXPERIMENT NICELY ILLUSTRATES THE BEHAVIORS THAT COME NATURALLY IN THE WILD AND SO SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED IN ZOOS. ORANGUTANS ARE VERY GOOD AT REMEMBERING EXACTLY WHERE FOOD IS LOCATED. THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT BASED ON WHERE THEY LIVE IN THE RAIN FOREST BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO REMEMBER WHERE FRUITING TREES ARE LOCATED. WE ALSO LEARNED THAT THEY TEND TO USE A PARTICULAR STRATEGY. THEY TEND TO GO FROM ONE LOCATION TO THE NEXT CLOSEST ONE WHICH MEANS THAT THEY SAVE THEMSELVES SOME TIME IN BETWEEN SO THEY TAKE THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE ROUTE WHICH IS A VERY EFFICIENT STRATEGY, VERY SMART. AND I'VE ALSO LEARNED THAT ORANGUTANS DON'T COMPETE FOR FOOD. OTHER ANIMALS PLACED IN COMPETITION FOR A BIT OF FOOD WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH. BUT ORANGUTANS, IT'S HANDS OFF AND I THINK THAT REFLECTS THEIR SOLITARY NATURE IN THE WILD. Alda: YOU DON'T SEE MANY ANIMALS PACING IN THE METRO ZOO. BUT THESE SAKI MONKEYS FROM SOUTH AMERICA ONCE DID THE MONKEY EQUIVALENT-- OBSESSIVELY GROOMING EACH OTHER HOUR AFTER HOUR. MacDonald: WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT OCCASIONALLY BUT ALL DAY LONG TO THE POINT OF LOSING PARTS OF FUR ON THEIR ARM. WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO BREAK THIS BEHAVIOR UP. Alda: THE SOMETHING THAT WORKED INVOLVED THE SAKIS' FAVORITE FOOD-- SUNFLOWER SEEDS. HIDDEN IN THESE CUSTOM-DESIGNED FEEDERS THE SEEDS HAVE TO BE DUG OUT BY THE MONKEYS MAKING THEM WORK FOR THEIR SUPPER AS THEY'D HAVE TO IN THE JUNGLE. MacDonald: THIS KIND OF ENRICHMENT PROJECT HAS A RIPPLE EFFECT ON THEIR ENTIRE BEHAVIOR BECAUSE IT DOESN'T JUST AFFECT THEIR GROOMING OR STOP THEIR GROOMING OR AFFECT THEIR FEEDING BEHAVIOR IT SEEMS TO AFFECT ALL OF THEIR BEHAVIORS. Alda: INCLUDING, SURPRISINGLY, THEIR MATING BEHAVIOR. WHERE BEFORE THE MONKEYS' PHYSICAL INTERACTION WAS CONFINED TO GROOMING NOW THEIR INTEREST IN EACH OTHER HAS BECOME MUCH MORE ROMANTIC. THERE'S BEEN A DECIDED LACK OF ROMANCE IN THE AIR OVER AT THE GIBBON ENCLOSURE, WHERE THIS MALE AND FEMALE DESPITE YEARS OF SHARING LIVING QUARTERS HAVE NEVER TAKEN THE FIRST STEP TO PARENTHOOD. SUZANNE, WORKING WITH GRADUATE STUDENT DAWN NICOLSON DECIDED TO TRY A LITTLE COUPLES' THERAPY WITH THE AID OF SOMETHING NOT OFTEN EMPLOYED IN ZOOS. ( "The Girl from Ipanema" playing ) SUZANNE'S APPARENTLY NOT THE ONLY ONE TO ENJOY "THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA. " BUT THE MUSIC IS JUST TO SEE HOW THE GIBBONS REACT TO AN UNUSUAL NOISE. ( gibbon calling ) THESE ARE THE SOUNDS THAT MATTER. ( high, hooting call continues ) IT'S THE CALL OF A MALE GIBBON AND IT GETS AN IMMEDIATE REACTION. IN THE WILD, GIBBONS CALL ALL THE TIME. BUT THESE TWO GIBBONS HAD HARDLY CALLED AT ALL UNTIL THE SUDDEN APPARENT INTRUSION OF ANOTHER MALE. ( calling softly ) BUT NOW THE FEMALE STARTS VENTURING A FEW TENTATIVE CALLS OF HER OWN. THE UNSEEN MALE SEEMS INTRIGUING. MacDonald: SHE IS ACTUALLY LISTENING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT OF ANOTHER MALE AND SAYING, "HERE I AM, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ME? " BASICALLY IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A COURTSHIP GOING ON AND SHE SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT IF SHE'S WELL BONDED WITH HER MATE. SHE ACTUALLY IS RESPONDING BECAUSE SHE'S TRYING TO PLAY THE MARKET A LITTLE. SHE MAY PREFER TO BE WITH A DIFFERENT MALE. Alda: THIS IS ALL VERY BAD NEWS TO THE MALE IN RESIDENCE WHO RESPONDS WITH THE GIBBON VERSION OF TAKING OFF HIS COAT AND ROLLING UP HIS SLEEVES. Nicolson: HE THINKS THERE'S ANOTHER MALE THERE SO HE'S DISPLAYING TO THAT MALE HIS STRENGTH TO SHOW THAT HE'S MORE DOMINANT THAN THE OTHER MALE. HE HAS TO PROTECT THE PAIR BOND. ( hooting ) Alda: AND IN THE ACT OF PROTECTING IT, MAYBE HE STARTS BELIEVING IN IT. IT'S THE OLD, OLD STORY-- THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A RIVAL, REAL OR IMAGINED TO SHAKE UP A STALE RELATIONSHIP. SOON THEY'RE BOTH TALKING-- THIS TIME, TOGETHER. NOW, THAT'S ENRICHMENT. MacDonald: USING SOUND AS ENRICHMENT I THINK IS ONE OF THE SORT OF UNDERREPRESENTED WAYS TO ENRICH ANIMALS AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN USE MORE OF IT IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO TAKE THE ANIMALS' OWN PERCEPTUAL WORLD AND TRY TO ENRICH IT. AND WE OFTEN FORGET THAT ANIMALS USE SOUND TO COMMUNICATE. ( both gibbons hooting ) Alda: FROM AN ANIMAL DOCTOR CONCERNED WITH HER PATIENTS' HAPPINESS

				Zoos As Arks Zoos like San Diego's may play a crucial role in preserving and restoring wild populations.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: WITH FEWER THAN A THOUSAND STILL LIVING IN AN EVER-SHRINKING HABITAT IN CHINA CAPTIVE ANIMALS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO THE SPECIES' SURVIVAL. AND OF GIANT PANDAS IN CAPTIVITY BAI YUN, NOW LIVING IN THE SAN DIEGO ZOO MAY BE ONE OF HER SPECIES' LAST BEST HOPES... DON'T EAT THE WHOLE THING AT ONCE. Alda: BECAUSE SHE'S HERE, NOT JUST TO CHARM HER VISITORS BUT TO TEACH RESEARCHERS ABOUT PANDA LIFE. YOU KNOW, SHE'S VERY CUTE. SHE WAS RESTING HER HEAD ON HER PAW LOOKING AT ME WITH HER BIG EYES-- LOOK AT THAT-- AND SHE'S VERY GENTLE THE WAY SHE TAKES THE COOKIE, HERE. LOOK AT THAT. BUT IS THAT... SHOULD I BE CAREFUL? Man: OH, YES. IS THIS ANIMAL DANGEROUS? VERY SEDUCTIVE, ISN'T IT, THIS WHOLE THING? THERE'S THE POTENTIAL OF SIGNIFICANT INJURY SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE HAS A PRETTY NICE SET OF TEETH. WHAT ARE YOU STUDYING HERE MOSTLY? WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM OF PANDAS PARTICULARLY THEIR SENSE OF SMELL. BECAUSE THEY'RE A SOLITARY KIND OF ANIMAL THEY NEED TO COMMUNICATE ACROSS DISTANCES AND IN WAYS THAT THE MESSAGE GETS OUT WHEN THEY'RE NOT IN FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT. SO THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS TO PUT OUT A SIGNAL, A SCENT MARK ON A POST, A TREE STUMP, A ROCK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. Alda: THE PANDA'S SCENT GLAND IS JUST UNDER THE TAIL. BY COLLECTING AND ANALYZING THE SCENT DON LINDBURG AND HIS COLLEAGUES HOPE EVENTUALLY TO DECODE WHAT IT SAYS. Alda: HOW SPECIFIC DO THE MESSAGES GET? AS A HUMAN, WHEN I SMELL AN ANIMAL, I GET ONE MESSAGE. I GET THE WORD "SKUNK," OR I GET THE WORDS, "MY CARPET IS RUINED" YOU KNOW, LIKE, THAT'S IT. DO THEY HAVE MORE... ARE THESE SMELLS MORE COMPLEX? CAN THEY GET MORE INFORMATION OUT OF A SMELL THAN JUST, "AN ANIMAL'S BEEN HERE"? WELL, WE THINK SO BUT THAT'S PRECISELY WHAT THIS STUDY IS ALL ABOUT-- WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION CAN THEY GET FROM A SCENT MARK? Alda: ONE ASSUMPTION IS THAT THESE SCENT MARKS ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN THE GIANT PANDA'S NOTORIOUSLY FINICKY MATING BEHAVIOR. ALONG WITH BAI YUN, SHI SHI, A MALE IS ALSO HERE IN THE SAN DIEGO ZOO IN THE HOPE THAT BETWEEN THE TWO A LITTLE PASSION MIGHT BE STIRRED. THE ANIMALS WERE INTRODUCED TO EACH OTHER LAST SPRING. ( growling and barking ) Lindburg: WHEN TWO PANDAS MEET IN THE WILD THE NORMAL RESPONSE IS TO EXPEL THE INTRUDER. THAT'S SUPPOSED TO CHANGE ON ONE OCCASION PRIMARILY AND THAT IS WHEN SHE WANTS TO MATE. AND IN THIS INSTANCE THE COMMUNICATION SEEMED NOT TO TRANSPIRE. ( growling ) HE HAD THE PROBLEM, NOT HER. THAT'S CORRECT. IF THE FEMALE APPROACHED HIM HE WOULD EITHER GIVE AN AGGRESSIVE VOCALIZATION OR LITERALLY LUNGE AT HER OCCASIONALLY EVEN BITE HER TO DRIVE HER AWAY. Alda: SHI SHI'S SURLINESS MAY BE EXPLAINED BY HIS BATTERED NOSE THE RESULT OF AN OLD INJURY IN THE WILD. PERHAPS HE SIMPLY CAN'T SMELL BAI YUN'S MESSAGES AND THAT'S WHY HE IGNORES THEM. BOTH SHI SHI AND BAI YUN ARE WATCHED ALMOST EVERY WAKING MOMENT AS THE RESEARCH TEAM ATTEMPTS TO UNDERSTAND THE PANDA'S WORLD. VALERIE HARE HAS BEEN RECORDING BAI YUN'S BEHAVIOR IN A COMPLEX CODE, EVEN DURING OUR FILMING. Alda: YOU PUT THESE CODES TOGETHER IN A SENTENCE? LIKE AT LUNCH YOU GET TOGETHER AND SAY "I SAW HER DO 1-A AND 2-C TODAY... " EXACTLY, WE CAN TALK, AND NO ONE... NOBODY KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM ALL THIS? HOW WILL YOU PUT IT TOGETHER? WELL, WE GIVE THIS MATERIAL TO THE RESEARCHERS, LIKE DR. LINDBURG AND THEY CAN SEE HERE SHE SAT STILL LOOKING AT YOU AND THEN, "ALAN FED. " THEN SHE STOOD UP ON HER HIND FEET. AND YOU WERE WATCHING AND WRITING THAT DOWN ALL THE TIME. EVERYTHING SHE DID. Alda: BY WATCHING SO CLOSELY, THE SAN DIEGO RESEARCHERS HOPE TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO PANDA BIOLOGY THAT WILL HELP THE SPECIES SURVIVE IN THE WILD. AND OF COURSE, THERE'S THE HOPE THAT BAI YUN WILL YET OVERCOME SHI SHI'S APPARENT INDIFFERENCE TO FATHERHOOD. THE IDEA THAT ZOOS SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE WORLD'S WILD ANIMAL POPULATION-- RATHER THAN DRAW FROM IT-- IS PROBABLY THE MOST PROFOUND OF THE CHANGES TO HAVE OVERTAKEN ZOOS SINCE THE DAYS I SO DISLIKED THEM. YOU CAN DRIVE RIGHT UP TO THESE ANIMALS... Alda: I'M HERE ON SAFARI, NOT IN AFRICA BUT A FEW MILES NORTH OF SAN DIEGO IN THE SAN DIEGO WILD ANIMAL PARK WHICH WAS CREATED SPECIFICALLY TO BREED ANIMALS FOR EXHIBITION IN ZOOS-- ESPECIALLY ANIMALS WHOSE CONTINUED EXISTENCE IN THE WILD IS IMPERILED. OUR FIRST STOP IN THE PARK IS AMID A GROUP OF EXTREMELY FRIENDLY UGANDAN GIRAFFES. HOW OLD IS THIS PARK? WE'VE BEEN HERE 25 YEARS, AND DURING THAT 25 YEARS WE'VE HAD OVER 20,000 ANIMALS BORN HERE AT THE WILD ANIMAL PARK. REALLY. AND HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE CONSIDERED ENDANGERED SPECIES? OF THOSE 20,000, ROUGHLY ABOUT... ALMOST HALF, ALMOST 50% OF THOSE ANIMALS HAVE BEEN ENDANGERED SPECIES THAT HAVE BEEN SENT TO ZOOS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONALLY TO OTHER FACILITIES WORLDWIDE. THE GIRAFFE IS NOT ENDANGERED, IS IT? THIS SPECIES OF GIRAFFE WILL PROBABLY BE THE FIRST SPECIES THAT IS LISTED. THE POPULATION IS DROPPING DRAMATICALLY. IS THAT BECAUSE VEGETATION IS DISAPPEARING OR WHAT? ACTUALLY, VEGETATION IS DISAPPEARING BECAUSE OF FARMLAND, ENCROACHMENT OF FARMLAND AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE OCCASIONALLY HUNTED FOR THEIR TAILS, WHICH ARE USED AS FLYSWATTERS. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT-- KILL A WHOLE GORGEOUS ANIMAL LIKE THAT TO SWAT A FLY? Alda: THE FRIENDLIEST UGANDAN GIRAFFE HAS A NOTICEABLY BUMPY FOREHEAD. WHY DOES THIS GUY LOOK SO DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS? HE'S AN ADULT MALE AND AS ADULT MALES BECOME MATURE YOU SEE A LOT OF CALCIUM DEPOSITS ON THEIR FOREHEAD AROUND THE OSSICONES, THE HORNS AND THIS PROTECTS THE CRANIAL AREA WHEN THEY'RE NECKING STANDING SHOULDER- TO-SHOULDER TAKING THEIR HEAD AND SLAMMING IT INTO THE ABDOMEN OF THE OTHER MALE. THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL NECKING? THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL NECKING, YEAH. HE HAS ACTUALLY SIRED NUMEROUS CALVES HERE. HE WILL BE DISPLACED BY THE YOUNGER MALE AND THIS OLDER MALE WILL THEN GO TO ANOTHER ZOO THAT ACTUALLY NEEDS TO CHANGE BLOODLINES. Alda: OUR FRIEND'S PLANNED DEPARTURE IS PART OF AN INTRICATELY CHOREOGRAPHED EXCHANGE OF BREEDING ANIMALS AMONG ZOOS AROUND THE WORLD. BY CONSTANTLY MIXING BLOODLINES THE GOAL IS TO AVOID THE DANGERS OF INBREEDING. Alda: WHERE ARE WE GOING NOW? WE ARE ACTUALLY LEAVING AFRICA AND NOW WE'RE CROSSING CONTINENTS. WE'RE NOW GOING INTO ASIA. Alda: THE ASIAN ENCLOSURE AT THE WILD ANIMAL PARK LIKE THE AFRICAN ONE HAS HUNDREDS OF ANIMALS ROAMING FREELY. ONLY PREDATORS LIKE LIONS AND TIGERS ARE KEPT APART FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. THE PARK HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY SUCCESSFUL AT BREEDING ENDANGERED RHINOCEROS SPECIES INCLUDING THIS ONE, THE INDIAN RHINO. Alda: WHY DO SO MANY ANIMALS APPROACH THE TRUCK LIKE THIS? BECAUSE ALL THE ANIMALS COME TO THE FEED TRUCKS. OH, FEED TRUCKS COME BY HERE, I SEE. NO WONDER, OH! HE REALLY LOOKS LIKE HE'S SEEN AN OLD FRIEND HERE. Alda: IT TOOK SEVEN YEARS OF TRYING BEFORE THE FIRST BABY INDIAN RHINO CAME ALONG BUT SINCE THEN, 26 OTHERS HAVE BEEN BORN AT THE PARK. Alda: HAS THERE BEEN ANY ONE BIG LESSON YOU'VE LEARNED ABOUT HOW TO BREED WILD ANIMALS? SPACE-- IN ONE WORD, I WOULD SAY SPACE. HOW DO YOU MEAN "SPACE"? ONCE WE TOOK ANIMALS FROM A ZOO ENVIRONMENT AND PLACED THEM IN THESE LARGER AREAS WE HAVE INCREASED THE BREEDING POTENTIAL OF THESE SPECIES BY TENFOLD. Alda: THE SUCCESS OF CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAMS AS ZOOS HAVE BECOME MORE LIKE THE WILD, HAS MEANT THAT THE FLOW OF ANIMALS FROM THE WILD INTO THE ZOOS HAS BEEN LARGELY HALTED. AND IN A FEW CASES, AS WE'LL SEE IN OUR LAST STORY IT'S EVEN BEEN REVERSED. Alda: A COUPLE OF HOURS' DRIVE NORTH OF RIO DE JANEIRO, IN BRAZIL ARE A FEW REMNANT PATCHES OF A FOREST THAT ONCE STRETCHED FOR HUNDREDS OF MILES. MOST OF THE LAND IS NOW PASTURE; MOST OF THE ANIMALS, COWS.