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NEXT@CNN
NEXT@CNN Special Edition, "Fierce Fascination"
Aired November 29, 2003 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everybody, I'm Daniel Sieberg, today on a special edition of NEXT@CNN, we'll look at humanity's strange love-hate relationship with big predators. Wolves are making a comeback and that sounds like good news, unless the comeback is in your back yard. We'll look at what could be a growing conflict.
And how much do you need really to worry being attacked by a wild animal. We'll ask an expert on risk.
Also what's it like to have your leg torn apart by a shark? We will talk to a man who knows firsthand.
All that and more on a special NEXT, "Fierce Fascination."
We are here at Zoo Atlanta. Separated by just this pane of tempered glass from the 200 pound predator behind me who is basically genetically programmed to eat me for breakfast. Lucky though, it seems like she's getting her own breakfast so I should be all right.
In any case, thousands of zoo visitors a year stand here and look at the tiger's teeth and claws. But why are we so fascinated with animals that could kill us? Well in the next hour we will look at several sides of that question.
First wolves in the suburbs, our fascination with wolves started long before the story of "Little Red Riding Hood," but does anybody really want them wandering through the subdivision? Gary Strieker reports on what's happening in some places where that's a possibility.
GARY STRIEKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 50 years ago they had almost been exterminated in the U.S. outside Alaska. Almost except for a small population of wolves holding out in northern Minnesota. And under the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act these resilient predators have made a comeback.
DAVID MECH, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: Wolves have increased in Minnesota, spread into Wisconsin and Michigan, in the three states, there's probably a good 3,000 wolves there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't that something. Sounds like the whole pack.
STRIEKER: Dave Mech is a respected wolf biologist who pioneered the study of radio collared wolves. The problem with wolves is they don't cooperate with people and stay where they are, and that causes conflicts.
MECH: It kills public opinion against the wolf again, and fosters think like illegal killing, poaching, and poisoning that type of thing. We have already seen isolated cases of poisoning out west. So, I'm afraid with too much animosity, we could go back to the old days and be worse than we are now.
STRIEKER: In the past decade, wolves have been relocated from Canada to the Yellow Stone Region, parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Wild life experts estimate about 700 wolves are now roaming there, and they have been cited in Oregon, Washington, Nebraska and Missouri.
Soon it's predicted wolf packs could reach many more states, possibly coast to coast from California to New York. And some say it's time to take another look at laws protecting wolves and other large predators.
DAVID BARON, AUTHOR: We still tend to think of mountain lions, and bears and wolves as being endangered. In some parts of the country they are, but in many parts of the country these animals are becoming abundant. And now we have to start thinking about, maybe we do need to start hunting these animal, again.
STRIEKER: There's growing concern about conflicts with wolves in Minnesota where packs are moving deeper into farming areas and killing livestock, approaching city suburbs, and more contacts with humans.
In north America only a few wolf attacks on people have been verified. Because for all its ferocious reputation, wild life experts say the wolf is afraid of humans, and tries to avoid them.
CROWD: Don't skill the wolves.
STRIEKER: Animal rights activists in Minnesota want continued protection for wolves, arguing they should be allowed to expand their range, but federal wildlife authorities are now scaling back protection, giving state's more authority to decide how to manage their wolves to minimize losses to livestock and to make sure these animals don't lose their fear of people.
BARON: I think we have to be willing to kill some individual animals in order to protect the species overall and not cause a backlash.
STRIEKER: Wildlife conservationists say hard decisions like that will become more common as wolves continue to multiply and disperse across the country.
SIEBERG: Well, entertainment acts featuring predators are often popular, mainly because we like seeing animals act as if they are tame and under human control. But now and then that illusion breaks down. That's what happened in October when Roy Horn was attacked by a tiger during his Las Vegas show. Witnesses say the 600 pound tiger, Monticore, lunged at Horn after he stumbled and dragged him offstage by the next. A few days after the act, Horn's partner, Siegfried Fischbacher, appeared on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" and said Monticore wasn't trying to kill Horn.
SIEGFRIED FISCHBACHER, MAGICIAN: Roy fall and he wants to protect, because that's danger. Animal like this and tripping and he gone over there. So he took Roy and put him backstage behind the curtain to protect him. And then he let Roy go and went back.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": He let him go by himself?
FISCHBACHER: And Roy said, "don't harm the tiger." I say it was an accident. If it would be, the tiger would be out for killing Roy. It would be...
SIEBERG: But animal experts weren't so sure the tiger was trying to help. They say the encounter sounded like a real attack, and that people need to realize a tiger is still a wild animal. Horn is in UCLA Medical Center listed in serious but stable condition. Monticore is out of quarantine and a spokesman says he will continue to live at the "Secret Garden," an animal habitat MGM Mirage.
ANNOUNCER: When we come back, we'll update you on the week's science and technology news. Then it's back to "Fierce Fascination."
Later in the show, what's up with all those sports teams named after predators? We'll look at the jump from jungle to jersey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
SIEBERG: Well, our African lion friend looks peaceful right now, but in North America when you read about a mountain lion attack, or when you see TV coverage of a shark attack it's hard not to imagine just how horrible it would be. But what are your chances of being killed by a wild animal? Well, Ann Kellan has a reality check.
ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Movies like "Anaconda" use wild animals to scare us. In this film it's a snake. In "Legends Of The Fall" it's a vicious bear. And a giant crocodile in "Crocodile II: Death Swamp."
Even a movie like the "Wizard of Oz" spells out our fear of wild animals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you suppose we'll meet any wild animals?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We might.
KELLAN: The news media adds to the hype, any time there's a spark attack, or someone injured by a tiger in the U.S., it's big news. But consider this, you are more likely to get hit by lightning than killed by a lion, a tiger, a bear, or a shark for that matter.
DAVID ROPEIK, AUTHOR: You have a much greater risk of being attacked by a dog.
KELLAN: David Ropeik, author of the book, "Risk" says when a predator attacks a human, it makes headlines because of what he calls "the dread factor." The many "Jaws" movies for example, built suspense around the horror of being eaten by a shark. So does the news media.
ROPEIK: Simply put, would you rather die of a heart attack or a shark attack?
So what scares us, kind of enthuses or excites the media that it might be an exciting story that resonates with people. And, yes, they do play those stories up because of that factor.
KELLAN: While it's probably a good idea to keep a distance from animals we call "man-eaters," what we really should be worrying about, says Ropeik, is us.
ROPEIK: Most of the risks that are really a threat to you are not from animals, they are from your fellow citizens, and humans, and government and so forth.
KELLAN: Medical staffs in hospitals, for example.
ROPEIK: We should be concerned about medical errors, not the kind when a doctor leaves a scissors in you, or cuts off the wrong arm, but nurses not washing their hands and spreading infections, prescriptions not filled out accurately. Medical errors are attributed to causing as many of a 100,000 deaths a year in North America. Being overly concerned about going in the water or taking a walk in the woods, and less concerned about the things that human society can do to you could be dangerous to your health.
KELLAN: After all, people kill more people than animals do. For example, in the year 2000, more than 15,000 Americans were murdered, while three people, on average were killed by bears, and one person in 2000 was killed by a sharp.
Media coverage doesn't always reflect those odds. Just recently when surfer Bethani Hamilton lost her arm from a shark bite, the media had a feeding frenzy. With "USA Today," "People" magazine, the network morning shows, and yes, CNN, all covering the story repeatedly for days.
When Roy Horn of "Siegfreid and Roy" was attacked by one of his pet tigers on the Las Vegas stage, the story was covered by the national news media for weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lions, and tigers and bears, oh my.
KELLAN: So the next time you hear or read about a ferocious animal attack, think back to the "Wizard of Oz" and remember, a lot of it is just hype. Let's face it, we want to hear about stories like this, or the media wouldn't dish it out. But remember, all our barking, makes the bite seem much worse statistically than it is.
SIEBERG: People show their fascination with predators in a lot of different ways, in most of which the predators would be happy to skip. For instance, some traditional Asian medicine is based on the idea that you gain power by eating parts of powerful animals.
(voice-over): Animal parts are the main ingredients for many delicacies, and for the treatment of ailments ranging from fever to epilepsy.
There are close to 500 species of shark today many of them are endangered. Shark's are hunted for their meat, liver and other parts that are sold as food or ingredients in many cosmetic products. Shark fins are the most popular and expensive marine product in the world. And the demand for them has spread worldwide.
Bear bile is big business. More than 7,000 bears are kept in 200 farms in China. Now illegal, bear bile has been used as medicine for over 3,000 years, for everything from muscle injuries to liver ailments.
The bile acid is extracted by surgically inserting catheters going into a bear's gall bladder. And many bears die as a result of the painful surgery. Those who survive are still confined to extremely small cages where they endure daily extractions of the bile.
Tiger bone and other parts have also long been used in Asian medicine. Tiger parts are used to treat headaches, arthritis, rheumatism and impotence.
At the turn of the 20th Century there were eighth sub species of tiger numbering about a 100,000. Only 5,000 to 7,000 tigers are found in the wild today. Many hope that the popularity of Viagra will have a direct effect on the tiger parts trade and help decrease demand for them. But for many, ancient traditions may be hard to break.
ANNOUNCER: When we come back, this man experienced the nightmare of a shark attack and lived to tell about it. We will find out how he feels about sharks now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIEBERG: Well, it doesn't happen often, but when sharks do attack, they can inflict terrible damage on people. Sharon Collins has the story of a man who was bitten by a shark this year and will never be the same. We need to caution you though, this report includes graphic video of his injuries.
BEN BROWN, ATTACKED BY SHARK: I got lucky to get back as quickly as I did.
SHARON COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ben Brown feels lucky to be alive and walking after a Fourth of July vacation turned into a nightmare. Like a scene from "Jaws," a seven-foot bull shark nearly took his leg and life.
BEN BROWN: I looked down and saw the shark on my leg, biting my leg.
COLLINS: The day started like so many others. The Browns headed out for a diving family holiday in the Bahamas. The weekend trip took them from Palm Beach to Walker's Cay, about 99 miles out to sea.
The day before the attack. Ben, his brother Bob and their families spent hours getting acquainted with the local wildlife. The next day while spear fishing the brothers got another wildlife encounter they will never forget.
BOB BROWN, VICTIM'S BROTHER: It was a real shock. It just kind of came out of anywhere and didn't even investigate. It just came in and hit.
COLLINS: Although badly injured, Ben Brown managed to make it to the surface. His family's swift reaction and a fortunate encounter with a private pilot got him back to a Palm Beach hospital in time for doctors to save his legs.
BEN BROWN: It's pretty amazing that it looks the way it does, and I can walk, based on those pictures.
COLLINS: Despite his injuries, he holds no bitterness.
BEN BROWN: I have had a healthy respect for sharks. I think this particular shark behaved strangely. I don't think anybody should be going out and killing any sharks. I think that we can definitely co-exist. I just doubt any novice diver just snorkling and have a shark swim up and bite him right off the bat. It's just not going to happen.
COLLINS: Shark experts agree. They say, although shark encounters are very common, shark attacks are extremely rare.
GEORGE BURGESS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: Shark attacks are actually very uncommon when one considers the literally billions of people that enter the ocean worldwide. We have between 75 and 100 attacks in any given year worldwide. The kind of attack that Ben Brown had was not an unusual circumstance, in the Bahamas, because it was an attack by a bull shark and the results of the attack was rather severe.
COLLINS: Bull sharks along with tiger sharks and the great white are the 3 species most associated with attacks on humans. But Bull Sharks can live in almost any type of water.
BURGESS: Bull shark is unique among sharks, in that it can inhabit brackish water and even go into fresh water situations. So this is the species that traverses the rivers way inshore.
COLLINS: Scientists say there are a few things people can do to reduce the risk on of a shark attack.
BURGESS: Shark attacks occur, not so coincidentally, in shallow water situations, in depths to 6 feet water or less. We want to avoid drop-offs where channels run adjacent to shoreline. We want to avoid the areas between sandbars where the surf zone is and where the fishes congregate, of course, is where sharks go to get a meal.
COLLINS: They say that bright colored clothing, shiny jewelry, and splashing around attracts sharks. But the No. 1 warning, is to avoid areas where people are fishing, or where the feeding of sharks is allowed.
BURGESS: The feeding by humans of wild animals, is changing their basic behavior, and so they are no longer quite wild animals, they have become trained animals. It's not good for the sharks or the humans.
COLLINS: But Ben Brown says it's safe to go back in the water. He and his family are planning another dive trip for next spring.
PETER BENCHLEY, AUTHOR: Other the last 25 years, so much more has been learned that I couldn't possibly write the same book today, because you can't demonize an animal. The animals, we have sadly come to learn, are the victims, and we are the villains.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up in our next half hour, we'll have a report on people who are so eager to hunt down big game, including predators, that they stack the deck so the animals don't have a chance.
And sometimes people harm animals without meaning to. We'll tell you what's endangering these polar bears. Those stories and a lot more are coming up after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
SIEBERG: Welcome back to "Fierce Fascination", this special edition of NEXT@CNN. You know, for some hunters killing a large predator may be the ultimate thrill, and for a few of them the goal is so important that they need to guarantee success Ann Kellan returns with a report on what's known as "canned hunting." And we need to warn you though, that some of the video in this segment may be disturbing to some viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In human games like football we try to make the playing field level for both sides. Same with hunting, many hunters carry guns, animals are free to run and hide. But, there's one kind of hunting that even has hunters crying foul, the slaughter of animals in a confined area.
WAYNE PACELLE, HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE U.S.: We see this as one of the most outrageous forms of hunting, and it's actually a type of hunting that many hunters themselves find it repugnant.
KELLAN: Repugnant that people hunt animals in small, enclosed spaces. A practice often referred to as "canned hunting."
PACELLE: The animals cannot escape and the shooting is guarantees, and these typically feature exotic animals, but sometimes birds, as well.
KELLAN: The Humane Society estimates there are about 2,000 canned hunting preserves in the United States, and people pay big bucks often for a guaranteed kill.
PACELLE: Almost anything from giraffe to buffaloes to lions to Oudah sheep are shot as a fee and you can shoot a European boar for 200, you can shoot a buffalo for 2,000, you can shoot a lion for 3,000. And, what's distinguishing about canned hunts is that the animal has no opportunity to escape and the kill is guaranteed.
KELLAN: The preserves we contacted say their facilities actually save wild populations, the more hunting done in these controlled conditions, the less hunting down in the wild, but animal rights groups disagree, they say it's more like target practice than sport, and easy kill.
They also say, sometimes the animals aren't even wild, bought from exotic pet owners, roadside zoos, even some legitimate zoos have been charged with selling so-called surplus animals to preserves. There are no federal laws governing canned hunting, from coast to coast, 13 states have banned it, according to the Humane Society, which means 37 states still allow canned hunts, and as they say, everything's bigger in Texas.
PACELLE: Texas is by far the hub of the canned hunting industry, more than 500 operations, offering exotic animals.
KELLAN: Check the web, the choices are enormous. Preserves range in size, and are a huge part of the multibillion dollar hunting industry.
PACELLE: And, there's no federal law barring the interstate transport of exotic animals to be shot in canned hunts.
KELLAN (on camera): While the Humane Society considerers all preserves canned hunting facilities no matter what the size, the facilities we spoke to strongly disagree, even though they would not go on camera, they said they take offense to being group with smaller preserves where they say more cruel and unfair hunts may take place.
(voice-over): Many of these preserves offer people an exotic vacation close to home with a guaranteed trophy. Whether it's the same as taking down a giant beast in the wilds of its natural habitat, for now you have to be the judge of that, the law is steering clear.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIEBERG: Afghanistan has seen more of its share of human suffering, but people in Kabul and around the world, were still drawn to the plight of an elderly lion in zoo there. Marjon lost his eye and most of his teeth in 1994 when someone tossed a grenade into his cage, but hung on, a beloved symbol until his death, early last year.
Michael Holmes filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marjon's life was long, hard, but noble. He survived rocket attacks when the Kabul Zoo was caught in the crossfire of civil war, then his jaw was blown off by a grenade, and later he went blind. After the Taliban fell, Marjon, believed to have been 24, became something of a celebrity, filmed and fated by media and Animal Welfare workers.
JOHN WALSH, WORLD SOCIETY FOR PRESERVATION OF ANIMALS: The case of a poor old lion that everybody really cared about.
HOLMES: John Walsh first came to Kabul to treat Marjon in 1995, he admits to shedding tears when he heard of his death. In the end, it seems, old age did what rockets and ill treatment could not.
(on camera): But, say his keepers, he was a symbol of this country, old, ailing, wounded, yet proud.
WALSH: It's an old country it's got all kinds of ailing problems, all of them felt that way, they identified with Marjon.
HOLMES: For many here, it's a tragic irony that Marjon survived so much mayhem only to succumb as the guns fell silent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUCER: You've seen the stories about people who keep tigers as pets, if you've ever wondered: What are they thinking: We'll give you some answers when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIEBERG: Most pet owners are happy with a dog or a cat, but some people want something a little different, and some of them end up with tigers, like the one behind.
Ed Lavandera reports on what motivates them and what happens when the novelty wears off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This sanctuary north of Fort Worth, Texas, is where tigers come to grow old.
RICHARD GILBRETH, DIR. INTERNATIONAL EXOTIC FELINE SANCTUARY: All of the sanctuaries in the United States, right now, are full of unwanted, and abused and abandoned exotic cats. And, they're still breeding them, and people are still buying them.
LAVENDARA: Richard Gilbreth is the director of the sanctuary. He cares for more than two dozen tigers here, and says he often gets five calls a week from people looking to get rid of the tiger they just bought as a pet.
GILBRETH: Lots of people are buying these as ego trips to show everybody, you know, look, I've got a tiger.
LAVENDARA: Tigers can be bought for less than $1,000 and they can show up in unusual places. This tiger was found in Antoine Yates' Harlem apartment. GILBRETH: I don't think people have any idea what they're getting into. When a private individual is buying these animals, they're buying potentially a loaded gun with a hammer cocked.
LAVENDARA: While humans seems excited of the idea of having pet tigers, the tigers really don't appear to be that interested.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIEBERG: Even among private tiger owners, Antoine Yates was unusual. He kept his 400 pound tiger, Ming, in a New York apartment. Last month authorities were tipped off and removed the tiger along with an alligator, Yates was interviewed on CNN's "American Morning," and said he'd been hoping to buy land to create an animal sanctuary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTOINE YATES, TIGER MAN: Well, basically it started -- my love for animals, as a child. I always loved -- you know animals. First becomes a fatuation (SIC), then after that a passion and love.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Some people say get a dog. Why a tiger?
YATES: Yeah, because it's basically when you look at animals, they're part of all of us. There's like a, I'd say, a distant relative. It's like this -- for example, if you had a dog, and I had a cat, it's really no difference; it's all on the love situation of how you treat it and respect it.
When you took a look at my cat, you could tell he was loved, he was in excellent condition. The only fault that I had, that I didn't have the proper -- how you say, financial things to give him, the land that he roam. But, that was part of my journey. I mean, that was my essence of what I was trying to create, a paradise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Still ahead, we'll explain why these polar bears are on thin ice.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIEBERG: In October, two campers were killed by a bear in Alaska's Katmai National Park. A sad story in any case, but the added twist here is that one of the victims was Timothy Treadwell.
Treadwell spent a dozen summers living among the Katmai bears, and many considered him an expert on them, although he had no academic training. Ironically, his death drew more attention to his beloved animals than his life did.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIEBERG (voice-over): Ancient people drew pictures of bears on the walls of caves. In some Native-American religions, bears are depicted as strong spirits. Today in pop culture, bears are more likely to be cute and have human traits like Disney's "Brother Bear."
ANIMATED BEAR: Tell everybody I'm on my way.
ANIMATED BEAR: Will you stop it?
SIEBERG: One man was so fascinated by Alaskan brown bears, that he spent years in Katmai National Park in Alaska, living among them. Timothy Treadwell was a self-taught bear expert who documented his interactions with the bears in photographs and videos. Treadwell believed humans could live in harmony with other animals. He claimed he made friends with the bears and often cheered them out.
TIMOTHY TREADWELL, BEAR ENTHUSIAST: If there's lots of bears out here, I root for them, I sing to them and tell them, "Hey, good job getting that clam," and the more I do that, it seems like the more clams they get, they get real excited.
SIEBERG: The bears seemed to respond peacefully to Treadwell for many years, he often touched them and gave them names. Treadwell's girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, also began living among the animals. Treadwell's quest was not without controversy, though. Park service officials, biologist, and others expressed concern about his safety and the message he was sending. They warned him that it's very dangerous for both humans and for bears to get used to one another.
On October 7, Treadwell and Huguenard were both killed by an aggressive bear, their bodies were found when a pilot arrived to pick them up to take them to Kodiak. Two aggressive brown bears were found near the scene and were shot by park rangers.
Bear experts don't question Treadwell's good intentions, but say he broke park rules, and took foolish risks in a misguided attempt to be friends with fierce wild predators.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIEBERG: Scientists in the Canadian north are keeping a close eye on polar bears. They're concerned about the condition of the bears and what it tells them about the condition of the environment.
Here is Strieker returns with that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY STRIEKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the western shore of Canada's Hudson Bay, researchers immobilize bears with drugs. With every bear they take measurements and samples. The objective, to monitor how global warming is taking a physical total on polar bears.
NICHOLAS LUNN, CANADIAN WILDLIFE SERVICE: Another fat sample that we're taking gets used in diet analysis.
The condition of both adult males and adult females has been declining over the past 20 years.
STRIEKER: There's a high concentration of bears here, a good place to see how climate change is affecting them.
(on camera): Polar bears spend most of their lives on the satisfy ice hunting for seals, but in the summer, when the ice melts on Hudson Bay, the bears are stranded on land waiting and fasting for months, until the sea freezes, again in the fall.
(voice-over): But, scientists say Arctic sea ice has been shrinking by three percent each decade since the 1970s.
LYNN ROSENTRATER, WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: As air temperatures have increased, sea ice has decreased; it's actually melting earlier in the spring.
STRIEKER: That means bears have less time on the sea ice, less time to hunt and build up their fat reserves.
ROSENTRATER: So, the polar bears are coming ashore lighter, and it's affecting the ability to produce cub litters.
STRIEKER: At the top of the food chain here, polar bears are a key indicator of what is happening to the Arctic ecosystem. A region that can change dramatically with small increases in temperature.
LUNN: I mean, these are bears that have adapted well to sea ice, that where they make their living, they hunt on it, they travel on it, they mate on it. They require the sea ice, and in the long term, if there's no sea ice, there won't be polar bears.
STRIEKER: Experts now say if the trend continues, within 100 years by the end of each summer, there will be no ice at all in the Arctic Ocean.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now let's just hope it holds up to being on a wild lion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have faith.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There -- oh, my god, look at that.
BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Bruce Burkhardt. We found a habitat where hundreds of creatures: tigers, bears, lions, even Nittany Lions are thrive. Our fascination with fierce creatures extends even to the playing fields.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA MACHT, MANAGING EDITOR "TIME.COM": Wireless internet access is definitely starting to infiltrate business. No question about it, because it gives them the advantages of allowing their employees to work just about anywhere in a building, not having to be tethered to a broadband connection. The other advantage for a company that embraces a wireless network is that they don't have to build their work space around dropping in cables, or kicking down walls or putting up walls that they need just to carry cables, now they can just think about the space and what it needs to do. The upside is it's great, you can work anywhere. The downside is you may not be able to escape work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUCER: This year, MTV rolled out a spin-off of their wildly popular show, Jackass," where guys do undignified things to get on television. But, the new show, "Wild Boys" is what happens when you cross a jackass with an animal. It's too soon to tell whether it will be a ratings hit, but it does make a point about our fierce fascination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People have an inherent fascination with, not just wild animals, but particularly with wild animals that sit one link higher than us on the food chain, and that's natural because for most of our evolutionary past, we had to live with these animals, and one of our greatest fears as human beings was being eaten. I think these kinds of shows and reading books about large predators, links us with our evolutionary past, and does get us in touch with a part of nature that really isn't part of our daily lives any more.
DAVID BARON, AUTHOR "THE BEAST IN THE GARDEN": But sometimes we do dumb things in our attempt to avoid big predators. Hikers, often carry pepper spray to ward off bears. A shot in the face can drive away even the biggest grizzly. But, some hikers cover their clothing and tents with the spray. And, as this experiment shows, spreading it around attracts bears.
And sometimes some of us get a very curious idea of just what a domestic animal is. But, don't worry about these critters. They're heading for a permanent vacation in Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIEBERG: But, when they get to Florida they may be hearing people yelling, "Go Panthers," or "Hold 'em Gators," or even "Come on Lions" if Detroit's in town. Needless to say they're not cheering for the wildlife. Across the U.S. thousands of sports teams are named for predators, and Bruce Burkhardt wondered why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BURKHARDT (on camera): There are less than 30 of these Florida panthers. They finished 4th in their division in the National Hockey League, last year. And, there are less than 30 of these Florida panthers. They're near the top of the endangered species list every year.
ANNOUCER: Here come the Panthers.
BURKHARDT: And for colleges, high schools, and pro sports team names across the country, there are over 500 panthers out there. In other words, there are probably more panther mascots out there, than panthers. Our fascination with the animals that sometimes eat us is thriving in arenas, if not in the wild. Lions, and Bengals, and Bruins, hundreds of them, dot the playing fields.
Our relationship with their real-life counterparts is a little more complicated than that. If some Timber wolves from Minnesota beat you in a shot at the buzzer, well tomorrow's another day, but if some Minnesota timber wolves kill your hunting dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there's no purpose for them. They're nice to be out there, but when the start affecting my livelihood, I don't want them around. I just don't want them around.
BURKHARDT: Therein lies part of the problem, if we live with predators in our backyard, the romance and fascination takes a backseat to concerns that are quite literally closer to home, if not we can't get enough of these big beasts, whether its fairytales, movies like "Jaws" or the millions we spend on gear for the Sharks and Grizzlies.
BARON: We humans have a very complicated relationship with large predators, we dread these animals, and yet we respect them. We hate them and yet we really want to be like them. Native-Americans use to hunt mountain lions as a sign of bravery and then they would take the lion's hide and turn it into a quiver to help that warrior inherit that lion's strength. And, today -- you know, what do we name our sports teams: the Panthers, the Cougars, the Lions, the Wildcats, so we use to try to exterminate these animals and yet, we really want to be like them. We admire them.
BURKHARDT: In some cases, in that love-hate relationship, the predators are holding their own. But in others, the humans are running up the score.
One more way to look at it, some wildlife experts say, with only 30 or less left, the clock's already run out on these Florida panthers.
These Florida Panthers can always sign another free agent.
ANNONCER: The Panther's win in overtime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIEBERG: Well, the clock's run out for us too, at least for this week. Thanks for watching this special edition of NEXT@CNN. We're back to our regular format next week, and here's one story we'll have for you:
You probably know Dean Kaymen as the inventor of the Segway Scooter. Well, he's got a lot more creative ideas where that one came from, and we'll show you some of them.
That's coming up on NEXT. Until then, of course we'd like to hear from you, and you can send us an e-mail and that's at Next@CNN.com, and you can also drop by our website that's at CNN.com/NEXT.
Thanks so much for joining us and thanks to our friends here as Zoo Atlanta. For all us, I'm Daniel Sieberg, we'll see you next time.
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