CARTAN-HANSEN: WE'RE
GOING TAKE A BREAK FROM THE

QUESTIONS FOR A MOMENT AND HAVE
STEVE GIVE US A TOUR OF THE ZOO

AND TALK ABOUT WHAT ZOO BOISE IS
DOING TO SAVE ANIMALS AROUND THE

WORLD.

WE'VE GOT THE LIONS BACK HERE.

WHAT'S ZOO BOISE DOING TO HELP
SAVE THE LIONS?

BURNS: YOU KNOW, I WISH I COULD
TELL YOU THAT ANIMALS ARE IN

GREAT SHAPE, BUT, UNFORTUNATELY,
THERE'A LOT OF ANIMALS, LIKE

LIONS, THAT ARE KIND OF IN
TROUBLE IN THE WILD.

THERE'S ONLY ABOUT 20,000 LIONS
LEFT IN ALL OF AFRICA.

20 YEARS AGO THERE WERE 400,000
LIONS.

THERE'S ONLY 3200 TIGERS.

THERE'S ONLY 25,000, YOU KNOW,
POLAR BEARS LEFT.

SO A LOT OF THE ANIMALS THAT
WE'RE SO FAMILIAR WITH ARE

REALLY IN TROUBLE.

SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE
TRIED TO TAKE A VISIT TO THE ZOO

AND TURN IT INTO A CONSERVATION
ACTION.

SO WE WERE THE FIRST ZOO IN THE
COUNTRY THAT WHEN YOU COME HERE

YOU PAY YOUR ADMISSION PRICE TO
GET IN, BUT YOU ALSO PAY A

CONSERVATION FEE ON TOP OF THAT,
AND ALL THAT MONEY GOES TO HELP

PROTECT ANIMALS IN THE WILD.

AND THEN WHEN YOU DO STUFF LIKE
FEED GIRAFFES OR TAKE OUR AT

RIDE OR FEED THE SLOTH BEARS, OR
ANY OF THE ANIMALS IN THE ZOO

FARM, ALL THAT MONEY ADDS UP,
AND IT GOES TO HELP PROTECT

ANIMALS IN THE WILD.

IN FACT, IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR,
WE HIT THE $2 MILLION MARK, IN

TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY
RAISED BY OUR VISITORS TO HELP

PROTECT ANIMALS IN THE WILD.

SO FOR LIONS, IN PARTICULAR, WE
HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH A PLACE

CALLED GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK,
WHICH IS IN THE COUNTRY OF

MOZAMBIQUE.

AND GORONGOSA WAS ONCE ONE OF
THE GREATEST PARKS IN ALL OF

AFRICA.

AND, UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A
LONG WAR, AND THE PARK WAS

DESTROYED, AND ALMOST ALL THE
ANIMALS WERE KILLED.

AND SO WE'RE PART OF A TEAM
THAT'S HELPING TO PUT THAT

NATIONAL PARK BACK TOGETHER
AGAIN.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT
PLACE FOR LIS.

THERE'S NOW THE LAST ESTIMATE
THERE WERE NOW 76 LIONS IN

GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK.

THERE WERE 200 BEFORE THE WAR,
SO IT DROPPED TO JUST A HANDFUL.

AND SO NOW IT'S UP TO 76.

SO EVERY TIME YOU COME TO ZOO
BOISE, YOU'RE HELPING TO DO

THINGS LIKE PROTECT LIONS IN
GORONGOSA.

CARTAN-HANSEN: SO NOW WE'VE
MOVED TO THE GIRAFFES.

ARE GIRAFFES ENDANGERED, TOO?

BURNS: YOU KNOW, THERE'S ABOUT
80,000 GIRAFFES LEFT IN AFRICA,

WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, BUT
IT'S ACTUALLY DOWN QUITE A BIT.

AND THERE'S VARIOUS KINDS OF
GIRAFFES THAT ARE IN MORE

TROUBLE THAN OTHERS.

AND I'M ALWAYS A BIG FAN OF
GIRAFFES, EVER SINCE I WAS FOUR.

I HAVE A PICTURE OF MYSELF IN A
GIRAFFE COSTUME, SITTING ON MY

DESK, WHEN I WAS JUST A LITTLE
KID, SO HUGE FAN OF GIRAFFES.

CARTAN-HANSEN: IF YOU'RE A YOUNG
PERSON AND YOU WANT TO HELP SAVE

ENDANGERED ANIMALS, WHAT CAN YOU
DO?

BURNS: I WOULD IMAGINE BEING A
YOUNG PERSON IT'S DIFFICULT,

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU LOVE
ANIMALS, AND YOU START TO HEAR

THAT SOME OF THEM AREN'T IN
GREAT SHAPE, AND YOU'RE

WONDERING WHAT CAN I POSSIBLY
DO.

WELL, ZOOS ARE A GREAT WAY FOR
YOU TO GET INVOLVED.

AT ZOO BOISE WE HAVE THIS
NTASTIC ZOO TEAM PROGRAM.

WE HAVE ABOUT 140 TEENAGERS WHO
HELP US ALL SUMMER LONG.

AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF ZOOS IN
IDAHO AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY

HAVE A SIMILAR PROGRAM.

SO IT'S A WAY FOR TEENAGERS TO
COME DOWN, THEY HELP US EDUCATE

THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON
IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

THEY HELP US RAISE MONEY FOR
CONSERVATION.

THEY HELP US TEACH CLASSES TO
SMALLER KIDS.

SO IT'S JUST A GREAT WAY.

YOU'VE GOT ALL THIS ENERGY AND
INTEREST AND ENTHUSIASM, AND A

ZOO CAN PROVIDE A WONDERFUL
OUTLET TO HELP YOU CHANNEL THAT

INTO SOMETHING THAT DIRECTLY
HELPS PROTECT ANIMALS IN THE

WILD.

CARTAN-HANSEN: OKAY, LET'S GO TO
ONE MORE STOP.

BURNS: OKAY.

CARTAN-HANSEN: THESE ZEBRAS,
THIS TYPE, IN PARTICULAR, IS

VERY RARE, YOU TELL ME.

BURNS: THERE'S ONLY ABOUT 2500
OF THIS PARTICULAR IT'S CALLED

GREVY'S ZEBRA.

THERE'S FOUR DIFFERENT SPECIES
OF ZEBRA, WHICH GREVY'S BEING

ONE OF THEM.

SO 2500 OF THEM LEFT.

THEY'RE FOUND IN NORTHERN KENYA
AND SOUTHERN SOMALIA.

YOU KNOW, IF I HAD TO SORT OF
GIVE A MESSAGE TO ALL OF YOUR

VIEWERS OUT THERE, I WOULD SAY,
YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE ONLY

PLANET THAT WE HAVE.

I KNOW WE EXPLORE MARS AND STUFF
LIKE THAT, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING

THERE ANY TIME SOON.

THIS IS THE PLANET THAT WE HAVE,
AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE

EVERYBODY TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR
PLANET, CARE ABOUT THEIR PLANET,

AND THEN TAKE ACTION, BECAUSE
THIS IS THE WORLD THAT YOU'RE

GOING TO INHERIT.

AND WHAT LIVES HERE WITH THE
REST OF US FOR A LONG TIME IS

REALLY GOING TO BE UP TO YOU.

AND SO LEARN ABOUT YOUR PLANET
AND LEARN HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR

PLANET.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
TRY TO DO AT ZOO BOISE IS HELP

YOU TO LEARN HOW TO CARE FOR