[Announcer] This program is supported by grants from The Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation, The Steiner Foundation, and the Alabama Wildlife Federation, working for wildlife since 1935.

"Discovering Alabama" is a production of the Alabama Museum of Natural History.

-(crowd cheering) -(lively marching music) (lively marching music continues) (crowd cheers) The Iron Bowl, one of college football's fiercest rivalries.

(whistle blows) For decades, the University of Alabama and Auburn University have competed on and off the field.

Their schools growing in stature with every game and matchup.

But while these universities thrive, the animals that inspired their iconic mascots face an uncertain future.

You know, for over 40 years, "Discovering Alabama" has been bringing viewers the wild wonders of our state, including Alabama's great diversity of wildlife.

But this show is about two animals that are not native to Alabama, though they do indeed have a celebrated presence in our state.

I'm Doug Phillips.

Join me while we spend some time with elephants and tigers.

First, we'll look at a little history of these animals becoming our beloved team mascots.

Then we'll examine their status in the wild and consider how we might help improve the outlook for their future.

(gentle music) This program is about a land unknown to many people, a land that, in many ways, has maintained its native natural wonders, a place of bountiful backcountry, forests, streams, and wildlife more diverse than can be found in much of the inhabited world.

Come along with me as we explore the wild wonders of this land.

Come along as we discover Alabama.

Welcome to "Discovering Alabama," and welcome to the Iron Bowl, the annual cross-state football clash between Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

And whether you shout, "Roll Tide," or "Go Tigers," elephants and tigers are the proud emblems of their respective schools.

Big Al represents the spirit of the university by really just being Big Al.

If you go to, like, any football game or any sporting event, Big Al's, like, the one who brings all the energy and the passion for the university.

Like even sometimes, Big Al will be riding around the university campus in a golf cart and, like, just going crazy.

It's like Big Al's the main event.

People like to see that, especially little kids.

So, Big Al is a really big thing to University of Alabama.

(horn honks) Aubie is a phenomenal mascot for so many reasons.

He's funny, he can dance, he can make anybody smile.

He does an exceptional job at really acting out what it means to be an Auburn student, which is just having joy everywhere that you go and really having fun with life and not taking -yourself too seriously.

-(students squealing) So, in competitive rivalries, these two mascots have rallied the fighting spirits.

But what's the rest of the story about these animals?

Beginning with, how did these two animals become our school mascots?

[Commentator] That right side of the Alabama line just moved everybody out.

-Unbalanced (indistinct).

-Big Al, as we know him now, made his official debut in 1980 at the Sugar Bowl.

And since then, he has been a consistent part of Alabama athletics and Alabama events.

[Doug] But before Big Al, live elephants were part of the culture at the University of Alabama.

Alamite was actually an elephant that the student body at the University of Alabama had raised money for for 1948.

And the homecoming queen actually rode Alamite in a parade, and then also, Alamite was in the stadium for that game.

[Doug] Not only were elephants part of athletic events, but they also lived on campus.

So, the university used to have live elephants on campus.

There was actually an enclosure on campus where they would keep 'em.

Fans snuck into the enclosure, got injured, so safety became a concern.

Then they would get animals from Barnum Bailey Circus that would come for homecoming.

But really, the care and the maintenance required for taking care of an elephant, from the expenses, safety issue, and then also as we became more aware of, you know, really taking care of and protecting these animals, you know, really the pageantry of using them was overshadowed by treating them fairly.

There was never actually a live tiger at Auburn University.

Never had a live tiger mascot.

We actually have live eagle mascot that really represents our battle cry.

So, Aubie was originally a cartoon drawn by Phil Neel from Birmingham.

He was on programs for years for Auburn football games.

And was brought to life for the first time in 1979.

The costume was brought in by the Alumni Association.

He first appeared in February of 1970 at the SEC basketball Tournament.

And since then, he's won 11 national championships.

-11 times- -He's in the mascot- -National champion!

-Hall of Fame, -been all over the country, -(commentator speaking faintly) and various places around the world.

Just continues to be the goodwill ambassador for Auburn University, Big Al and Aubie, cheerleaders for our teams, ambassadors for goodwill.

And what's the rest of the story about these actual animals in the wild?

(birds chirping) Unlike Aubie, wild tigers are, for the most part, solitary animals.

They are the largest wild cats in the world, weighing up to 660 pounds and some growing up to more than 10 feet in length.

Still, they're able to run like the wind.

At times reaching speeds of almost 40 miles per hour to catch their prey.

Most tigers have over 100 stripes, and every tiger's pattern of stripes is unique.

Like our fingerprints, no two are alike.

Elephants are known for their complex social lives, living in herds or family groups led by an elder female elephant or a matriarch.

Related females raise the offspring together and depend on the matriarch's memory and knowledge for sources of food, water, and shelter.

Elephants possess remarkable cognitive abilities, helping them to learn from their environment and acquire social development, calves learning essential skills like foraging and social etiquette from their elders.

Elephants are the world's largest land animals, some weighing upwards of 10,000 pounds, so you might be surprised that an animal this large can also be very stealthy.

In 2015, Tide for Tusk traveled to Tanzania, and we were ambassadors for the University of Alabama.

And we went out and I experienced African elephants for the first time in the wild.

And it was not what I expected.

There's no one to mow the grass there, so the grass can be over your head, and so we were stopped.

And through the grass came this huge elephant head, and I heard nothing before them because their feet are so soft and you do not hear them coming.

They are truly gentle giants.

And to just have them appear out of nowhere, I'll never forget that experience as long as I live.

It was really amazing.

From the grasslands to the forest, tiger and elephant populations have profound impacts on where they live.

As keystone species, their very presence makes a difference in whether their environments thrive or decline.

The elephant, the African elephant, is a keystone species.

And the entire ecosystem depends upon the elephants.

They are called the gardeners of Eden because they graze and then they poop and they re-germinate the entire area that they're in.

And when there's a drought, they can sense water under the ground, and they use their tusk and they use their trunks and they dig for the water.

And they drink the water, but it's not just for the herd, it's for all the animals that are around them.

And if the elephant becomes extinct, then the entire population of species is in trouble.

-(birds chirping) -(grass crunching) Tigers are considered apex predators.

They are on the top of food chain, so they maintain the populations of several herbivores like deer and other herbivores, and also omnivores.

So, as such, they contribute significantly to ensure ecosystem balance.

So, in the wild, our two beloved mascot animals serve important roles to sustain balance in their respective ecosystems.

And yet today, their numbers have dropped so low that populations of most species face a foreseeable possibility of vanishing forever.

In some regions, tiger and elephant populations have declined by over 90%.

There are several reasons for this, chief among them for decades has been illegal poaching, taking animals for live trade or killing them for various body parts to be sold on the black market.

For tigers, often, it's for their fur or their claws.

For elephants, typically, it's for their tusks.

Well, maybe the Alabama public doesn't know about the poaching issue.

You know, the tusk of the elephant, it's a tooth.

And they are brutally murdered.

They are hacked, chainsaws.

It is grotesque what takes place when poachers poach these elephants.

And we've lost 80% of the population of these animals, and the birth rate is so slow.

These numbers are not gonna come back quickly.

They are endangered.

Another reason for declining populations is declining habitat.

Increasing losses from the removal of forests, the conversion of grasslands, and the intrusion of expanding infrastructure.

These and other habitat encroachments have taken a big toll in many places, impacting over 60% of natural habitats for tigers and elephants.

The connection between forest and tigers are pretty straightforward, 'cause like all animals, including human beings, they need food and shelter.

Same thing, you know, forests provide food and shelter to tigers.

And approximately 25,000 acres of forest habitat is ideally needed for one tiger.

So, elephants have natural migration patterns.

These migration patterns and where to find food, where to find water has been passed down.

But what happens in between generations is that humans are encroaching on their natural habitat.

They're fragmenting their habitat.

The elephants are just trying to keep doing what they've always been doing, but now there's a farm in the way or now there's a village in the way.

And so, that's when the two species come into contact, and it's not often a pleasant experience for anybody.

You know, when tigers, for various reasons, you know, if the local cattle and other populations are there, when the habitat is really under pressure for tigers, they have a propensity to come into the communal lands, the agriculture lands, and those things for food.

And that's where the biggest problem.

You know, just one incident is sufficient for all the communities get together, whether it is a day and night, "Okay, let us locate that tiger and then hunt."

And thus we come to a third major reason for the decline in elephants and tigers, the simple reality of human-animal conflict.

Colliding turf, colliding space, colliding needs, and the issue is a complex one.

The overall rural poverty, when the communities are very impoverished, you know, they have to depend heavily on local forests for various things, all the way from fuel wood to some other, you know, the produce that they can survive.

So, there are some studies documented that rural poverty has a negative impact on tiger populations.

The people who are out there poaching elephants for tusks aren't necessarily terrible people.

They're just people trying to feed their families, you know?

An elephant tusk goes for a lot of money, and they may be selling it to someone who sells it to someone who sells it to someone, so they may not even be getting that full value that we see at the end of this whole cycle.

They're getting just enough to keep going.

And if their crops have been raided and they don't have any other options, it's just somebody trying to do the best that they can in this situation.

(wildebeests grunting) [Doug] And many times, the loss of an individual animal has multiple ramifications affecting the species and compounding the challenges for humans.

We talked before about how elephants need a mentor.

They need someone to show them where to find food, where to find water, how to behave socially.

And when those big tuskers, those large, old adult males who have been around for a very long time, when they're taken out of the population, they lose that wealth of information to be able to pass down to the next generation.

So, not only are you losing that animal, you're losing the resource.

And now, these young bulls don't have anyone to look to.

They're the ones that raid crops, that end up in villages.

And we're seeing increasing levels of human-elephant conflict.

That's the biggest issue facing elephants right now.

(sheep bleating) It is really easy to say from Auburn, Alabama, "Save all the tigers.

Do whatever's needed at all costs."

But for people that are really living at that human-wildlife interface, the problem is much more complex, right?

Kind of in ecology, we call these wicked problems.

That doesn't mean it's bad, but just that it's very complex and confusing.

There's not one right answer.

Some folks may say that's just the way the world is.

Over time, the needs of some species come into conflict with those of others.

That's just the way the world's always been.

But we in Alabama do love our tiger and elephant mascots.

In fact, having them as mascots inspires a certain kinship for these animals, so it's only right that we're also concerned about effective strategies to protect them in the wild.

But we really have to figure out how to navigate this path so that tiger conservation goals are achieved and human populations are also upheld, right, with dignity and respect, and that they get a fair share of the benefits of this process and of the management of these reserves.

Here in the United States, I would compare this to the wolf, saving the wolf, right?

It was really easy for people maybe in urban areas or areas where the wolf didn't exist to say, "Save the wolves."

I do believe wolves and tigers and all of these animals should be conserved, but we have to think about how we do that with human interest and human needs in mind as well.

We're living and coexisting, right, with these animals.

We live in the Anthropocene, an era defined by human existence and human influence, and so we have to always be considering the human dimension of these conservation problems.

[Doug] And at Auburn University, faculty and students at the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment are exploring the human dimension of conservation problems in partnership with the Forest College and Research Institute in Telangana, India.

Students like Keerthi Devulapally, currently working on her master's degree in forestry, were chosen to study at Auburn.

The full point, it's showing something here.

I'm from southern part of India, Telangana State.

So, since my childhood, I have a passion to study either in agriculture or forestry because my father is a farmer.

So, I studied my undergrad in Forest College and Research Institute in Telangana, India.

And then I got to know about this opportunity in Auburn University.

And then I gave my interviews.

Then I got it, I'm here.

I think the partnership between Auburn University and the Forest College and Research Institute in Telangana, India, is a really important partnership in expanding tiger conservation research for both of these institutions.

So, the Forest College is able to send students over, so they're cross-trains in some of the methodologies and some of the research areas that our faculty have interest and expertise in, and they're able to take that expertise back and kind of create this ripple effect, right?

So, they're able to kinda start a research program here as master's students or graduate students, and then take that back and expand on that with their advisors, with their colleagues, with others that are living in India to really understand these different facets of tiger conservation.

And so, I think it helps bridge that gap between just sort of a passive enthusiasm for tiger conservation to really a deeper understanding and connection of what it means to conserve tigers.

I think that's important, right?

That we're not just here thousands of miles away saying, you know, "Go, Aubie.

We love tigers."

But that we're really taking a true, deep concerted effort and understanding what it means to conserve tigers and to do what's, you know, in the best interest of tigers and the communities that live with tigers.

Partnerships between academic institutions, together with other groups, private organizations, citizen-based conservation groups, these are helping wildlife.

So, there are some bright spots in global conservation, but the challenges to bring these animals back to healthy populations still remains.

What can we do to support these efforts?

(bell chiming) I grew up in Tuscaloosa, so I've always loved elephants.

Elephants have always been around.

-And I love the hype- -Oh my God.

I love the excitement that takes place before a game.

And so, I just had this natural love for elephants.

But until I became aware of the poaching issue and the difficulties that they face, I didn't become that concerned.

I just thought elements were in the wild and they're the largest land animals, so they're gonna take care of themselves, but I didn't know the environmental dangers that they were in.

And so, Tide for Tusk was born, hoping that we could just bring awareness, just some simple facts to people, especially Alabama fans.

And I think that the love the fans have for the elephants, that once they're aware of the conservation needs and that maybe we could work with some conservation groups in Africa for collaring projects or research, wouldn't it be great to have a Big Al, you know, a GPS collar on an African elephant and go, "Where's Big Al today?"

Wouldn't that just be great?

Or name him Nick.

Maybe we could have more than one.

It was once thought that African bulls were solitary.

And in a captive setting, they wouldn't normally have been put together for social opportunities because we didn't think that they needed it.

But then some research out of Africa showed us that they were actually socially compatible if given enough space.

So, in 2010, we started our bachelor herd, and over the next several years, we were able to successfully introduce the first herd of African bulls in the country.

We bring in young bulls when they are finished being with their mother, but they're not quite ready to breed yet.

They learn their manners from the adult elephant, how to behave around others.

And from us, they learn all of the behaviors that they need to know for us to be able to take care of them, whether they're here or they're at another facility.

[Doug] Elephant research, whether in the field or in captive settings, can be mutually beneficial to the animal species as a whole.

Pak.

Something that we have actually helped with here, the Birmingham Zoo, is when you have a researcher who needs to test certain equipment or a certain idea before they go out and put it out in range countries, out in Africa, they test it here.

And so, we've been able to help with testing accelerometers, which is like a elephant Fitbit on their wrists for durability and different aspects of the research process.

Good.

The more that we know about these animals, the more that we can help them all the way around.

The more we know.

And this is true for Alabama's native wildlife species too, quite a number of which are in need of protective conservation strategies.

And you can learn more about this in many of "Discovering Alabama"'s previous episodes.

And yes, the more we know, the better we can help them.

(elephants snorting) Roll Tide and Go Tigers.

(tiger growling softly) May we rally to the spirit of our mascots for decades to come.

But the extinction of elephants and tigers would mean that our cheers ring hollow, and most troubling, their disappearance forever from the face of the Earth would be a tragic and shameful loss for us and for the wondrous creation with which our world is blessed.

(grass crunching) "Discovering Alabama" extends a big thanks to UA seniors, Lucy Karem and Logan Busbee, who served as "Discovering Alabama" interns and assisted with the production of this show.

[Logan] Awareness really is the big thing.

Right now, there's just not enough awareness.

I mean, we're graduating.

We've been here for four years, but before now, we never knew about these issues that our mascot animals face.

Elephants and tigers are important to the overall biodiversity of our planet.

They're significant to the very nature of life on our planet.

The next Iron Bowl I go to, I'll have a whole new perspective on the mascots that we cheer for.

-(birds and cicadas chirping) -(slow percussive music) (slow percussive music continues) (lively safari music) (lively safari music continues) (lively safari music continues) (lively safari music continues) (lively safari music continues) (lively safari music continues) [Announcer] "Discovering Alabama" is produced in partnership with Alabama public television.

"Discovering Alabama" is a production of the Alabama Museum of Natural History.

This program is supported by grants from The Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation, The Steiner Foundation, and the Alabama Wildlife Federation, working for wildlife since 1935.