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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Iraqi Insurgents Strike American Military Outpost; Al Qaeda Gaining Strength in Pakistan?; Stranded Climbers Found Alive on Mount Hood; Romancing the Religious Right; Scientists Work to Save Manatees; Has Britney Spears Lost Her Mind?

Aired February 19, 2007 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: There is great drama happening here in the Amazon rain forest. And that is what we are going to be telling you about tonight.
We are in a secret location. I can't tell you exactly where. And I will explain why in just a moment.

But, first, I want to introduce our other anchors, Kiran Chetry, who is going to be anchoring out of New York for us, and John King in Washington.

Guys, we will toss back to you in just a moment. There's much for you to talk about, a resurgent al Qaeda in Pakistan, and what it means for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and what the White House says they are going to do about it. We are going to talk about that in just a moment.

But, right now, right here, the battle that is happening here -- this really is ground zero on the -- the threat to the rain forest, which is something that, as we have been showing over the last couple of days, has an impact on everyone, literally, around the world.

Right now, right here, we are seeing major deforestation in this part of the Amazon. I can't tell you where exactly, because we are with Brazilian federal police and members of Ibama, which is the Brazilian equivalent of the Environmental Protection Agency.

But what makes Ibama different is that, basically, they are packing heat. They have guns. And, right now, in this place where we are, they are going to be starting a series of raids against illegal loggers, which is happening 24/7, around the clock, throughout Brazil, throughout the Amazon Basin, but particularly in the region we are at right now.

Today, we spent the day with Ibama officials in this deep forest preserve. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: On patrol, federal police and Ibama agents are very heavily armed. This is, in a sense, hostile territory. And secrecy is key to Ibama's operations in an area like this.

If word leaks out that Ibama is here, that they are starting to patrol, that they are going to start making arrests, the illegal loggers will simply disappear into the forest. That way, Ibama won't be able to confiscate any of their equipment. They will make no arrests. And probably most important of all, the illegal loggers will be free to move on to another part of the rain forest and stop chopping it down.

For Ibama officials and federal police, who are working together here in the rain forest, the -- the conditions are extremely difficult. They are living in these tent encampments. They will stay here for months at a time. And because of the nearly constant rain, everything is covered in mud. And, particularly, your shoes just get completely covered.

Ibama officials have just gotten some intelligence that there may be an encampment nearby, potentially of illegal loggers. They are going to check it out on patrol. Yesterday, on patrol, they came across this ancient musket, which was being used by a man who lives nearby to hunt illegally in the forest. So, they confiscated the musket from him.

We will see what happens on patrol today.

Ibama has been planning operations in this biological preserve for more than a year now. They already know the locations of dozens of illegal logging operations. This patrol is just one chance to get some intelligence the ground before they launch a series of raids against the illegal loggers.

Time is short, though. Ibama officials tell us, two-thirds of this biological preserve have already been destroyed.

JEFF CORWIN, HOST, "THE JEFF CORWIN EXPERIENCE": To get to the core of biology of the magnificent nature that lives here, you have to take on some pretty unforgiving roads.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: And -- but you know, these roads, as -- as bumpy and -- and terrible as they are, what's -- what's even worse about them is that the roads are the conduit for the habitat loss.

CORWIN: This is basically the pathway for which the timber and the wildlife comes out. In fact, every five minutes, on the major expressway that connects this region of Brazil to the capital, Brasilia, there is a gigantic truck just laden with trees.

COOPER: The Ibama officials were telling me that, you know, it's the -- the -- the guys who are actually cutting down the trees are kind of a pawn in this game, that -- that, really, they are not making a lot of money off this.

It's -- it's wealthy landowners, it's cattle ranchers who are profiting from the timber...

CORWIN: Absolutely.

COOPER: ... who are profiting from the use of the land after the trees have been cut down.

And the guys who are actually doing the cutting, they don't even make the -- the -- the minimum wage in Brazil, which is $150 a month. They earn less than that.

CORWIN: They learn -- they -- some -- some individual out here who is slashing and burning at this material is maybe making $50 a month, at best.

COOPER: You really get a sense of how hard the -- the working conditions are for Ibama and the -- and the -- the federal police, who are here out patrolling, you know, every day.

We are dealing with these kind of roads. The mud is everywhere because of the constant rains. It just -- it soaks into anything, gets into your shoes, and bombings down your vehicles.

Just getting back from being on patrol -- they were out probably for about two hours, didn't really find much of anything. They did not find the encampment of the illegal loggers that they think is around here. Tomorrow, they will go out on another patrol, and they may start a series of raids, which we will -- we will take part in as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: And it is really right in the middle of the night. It's about -- we are a little past 1:00 a.m. here in Brazil.

And the -- the soldiers are already -- the federal police are still on patrol, still on guard behind me. They consider this really hostile territory. There's a lot of illegal activity going on, including some drug growers who are growing crops nearby here, very powerful land interests, who do not want these officials here.

We will have more of their story throughout this hour and in the next day or so.

Right now, let's go back to John King in Washington for some important news about America's mission in Iraq -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Anderson, and back to you in a moment, a remarkable look there in the rain forest. Thank you, Anderson.

As you noted, a string of bombings in and near Baghdad today has left dozens of Iraqis dead. Rebels also hit an American military outpost -- outpost north of the capital -- three suicide bombs going off, killing two U.S. soldiers and eight Iraqi policemen.

These attacks come at a time Iraq's prime minister has been calling the recent security crackdown in Baghdad, in his words, a dazzling success.

With us now in Baghdad, CNN's Michael Ware.

Michael, let's start with this brazen daylight attack against the U.S. combat outpost by insurgents.

How did they carry this out?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we are being told, John, is that at least one, perhaps as many as three car bombs -- that's suicide car bombs -- were used, plunging into this heavily fortified former police station that was being used by U.S. forces north of the capital, Baghdad.

Once the car bomb, or the car bombs, if you -- depending on whether you listen to U.S. or Iraqi government officials -- there was then an assault by up to as many as 40 or 50 gunmen, using rocket- propelled grenades, machine guns, and assault rifles, as they attempted to close on that U.S. position and the troops inside, amidst the confusion in the wake of that car bomb.

What we do know is that two U.S. troops were killed and at least 17 were wounded.

KING: A tactic like this, Michael, is this something that is done frequently? And why now?

WARE: Well, it's not done every day, but, yes, sure. We have seen this quite a few times before.

I mean, there's some absolutely classic examples that stand out for their extraordinary nature, back in April 2005, the multiple car bombings used in a very complex attack on Abu Ghraib prison, another car bomb on a very similar combat outpost in Ramadi in August 2005.

We see these things happen. We have seen the use of car bombs in the same way that the U.S. military would use combat engineers to blow a breach in a wall or in defensive positions. This -- the jihadi use -- the insurgents use their car bombs to plunge in, make a hole, and the hope then is to pour their fighters through the breach.

We do see this, John, from time to time.

KING: And, Michael, let's move on now to this series of bombings rocking Baghdad in the past few days. How does the Iraqi government square the -- the new violence with the prime minister's term of the operation, the security operation, being a dazzling success?

WARE: Well, there has been a dampening, I think you could put it, of some of the sectarian violence in the capital, Baghdad.

I mean, on the streets each morning, the citizens of this metropolis right now are waking up to fewer tortured and executed bodies as a result of the civil war here than they normally do. Rather than the 40 or 50, they are finding as few as five, 10 or maybe 20 in the mornings. So, there has been some softening.

However, even the American commander in charge of Baghdad, the commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division, when noting that there had been a certain downfall in some levels of violence, said: Let's not get our hopes up here. We have seen this before. Each time we change tactics, the enemy sits back and watches us, thinks, and adapts their tactics.

So, nothing can be read into this. What we are seeing, John, is, rather than a dazzling success, I think everyone, from the U.S. military and -- and the citizens of Iraq will agree, is a war holding its breath, waiting to see what the insurgents' next move is.

KING: Well, Michael, you mentioned an insurgency that repeatedly changes its tactics to adapt. What do you make of these recent reports indicating that the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his men to keep a low profile during the security crackdown?

Any indication of whether we ought to believe that, and any indication as to where al-Sadr is?

WARE: Well, there is a lot of chatter to that effect.

Certainly, you can hear it from your sources in Sadr City, the slum -- sprawling slum stronghold here in the capital, Baghdad, a capital of five million to six million, where half of those people live in Sadr City.

Now, we are hearing from that militia's stronghold anecdotal reports that, yes, they have been told to put the arms away and stay out of sight. We are also hearing from the U.S. military that they believe that most of the fighters have been told to keep a low profile. And, indeed, much of the leadership may have moved out of the capital for the duration of the offensive.

This is not new. This is what they do every time. It's classic guerrilla insurgent tactics: Only fight the fight you know you can win.

KING: Michael Ware, for us in Baghdad on another deadly and depressing day in Iraq -- Michael, thank you very much.

Now, President Bush, of course, has called Iraq the central front in America's war on terror. Some of his critics, though, say the facts suggest otherwise. And they would cite new evidence that al Qaeda, the original al Qaeda, the al Qaeda that attacked the United States on 9/11, is gathering new strength inside Pakistan.

The Pakistani government, which is, of course, a key U.S. ally, denies any widespread al Qaeda resurgence.

CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen joins us now for a reality check.

Peter, let's start with the basic. What is the new evidence that al Qaeda is increasing its presence, including running new training camps in the northern part of Pakistan?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, according to a wide range of U.S. military officials and intelligence officials, there are training camps in the tribal regions. These are not large barracks that you can see from the air, the sort of things that satellites would pick up. But they are of 10 or 20 people training in compounds, learning how to make bombs, doing exercises. I don't want to, you know, blow up the scale of these camps. But, also, an intelligence official recently posted in Pakistan describes up to 2,000 foreign fighters in the tribal areas.

Clearly, the Pakistani government is trying to sort of downplay the problem, but I don't think that it's saying it doesn't exist at all. After all, there have been six suicide attacks in Pakistan by militants in -- just in the last few weeks. And these are militants who have presence in the tribal areas.

So, this is blowing back on Pakistan, as much as it's blowing back into Afghanistan. And, of course, this also has security implications for the United States, because people trained in this area have attempted to bring down U.S. airliners last summer, a plan, you may remember, John, a plan to bring down 10 American airliners with liquid explosives.

According to the head of the -- the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, that plan was planned in Pakistan by al Qaeda's leadership -- the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency testifying to that effect in a hearing just in January.

KING: So, help put this into context, then. For anyone watching and hearing this alarming talk of an al Qaeda resurgence, you say you don't exaggerate these camps. Compare them, in terms of the operational capability they give al Qaeda, compared to the camps it had in Afghanistan pre-9/11?

BERGEN: Well, I think it's still very hard for al Qaeda to attack the United States, for three reasons.

First of all, the al Qaeda ideology has been really rejected by the American-Muslim community. Secondly, the United States government has done things to make us safer. And, thirdly, al Qaeda is weakened. But it is regaining strength.

And, if you look at the London attack of July 7, 2005, where 52 commuters were killed, this was an al Qaeda classic operation, organized on -- from the tribal areas in Pakistan. If they can attack in London, they can certainly attack in other places. So, they are back at the point where they can do complex operations in major European capitals. I would say that's a problem.

KING: And, Peter, back at the point where Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri are calling the shots and organizing things?

BERGEN: Yes, I mean, I don't think they have ever stopped organizing things, I mean, through the medium of these videotapes and audiotapes they keep releasing. We have had 22 from Ayman al-Zawahri in the last year or so. We have had five from bin Laden.

You know, these tend to have general statements about kill Westerners, kill Jews, but also sometimes specific ideas, like attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia -- we have seen some of that -- or attack members of the coalition in Iraq.

We have had attacks in Spain and -- and also in Britain, as a result of those calls. So, you know, they continue to give broad strategic guidance to the organization and also the ideological movement that al Qaeda spawned.

KING: Pakistani officials in Pakistan and the ambassador here in the United States say we are exaggerating the scope of this. They say it's ridiculous to think there's been any widespread al Qaeda resurgence within the borders of Pakistan.

What do you make of that?

BERGEN: Well, I would just point to three statements.

One is President Bush's recent statement about Taliban and al Qaeda being in Pakistan. I would also point to the fact that the -- the head of NATO military forces, testifying in September, referred to Taliban leadership being in a city, in an area in Baluchistan.

I would point to the statements of John Negroponte, the outgoing director of national intelligence, saying that al Qaeda is basically headquartered in Pakistan. I mean, the list goes on and on. Not all these people can be wrong.

KING: Our terrorism analyst Peter Bergen -- Peter, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

BERGEN: Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

In a moment: back to Anderson in the rain forest and Kiran in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Stuck in chilling weather on a killer mountain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice to have as many security blankets as we can carry with us.

CHETRY: How they survived, what they did right, and how a black lab named Velvet truly was a climber's best friend.

Also: gentle giants, even the babies.

CORWIN: This manatee is maybe about a month in age. It's probably about a meter in length and weighing about 30 pounds.

CHETRY: Anderson, Jeff, and the people saving one of the Amazon's disappearing treasures -- only on 360.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORWIN: Totally awesome, certainly well worth the slopping and slushing about in the muck, one of my favorites.

There he is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: That's Anderson and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin. They are in the Amazon rain forest. And we are going to be heading back that way later in the program.

First, though, here at home, boy, it was a big sigh of relief today for those climbers that were stranded on Oregon's Mount Hood. As we know, winter can be brutal up there. Three people died just a few months ago, but, today, it was a much better ending.

CNN's Dan Simon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They did everything right to prepare for disaster. That's why these are pictures of a successful rescue, not a recovery of bodies.

The group of eight set out on sunny Saturday, hoping to reach the peak of Mount Hood. The weather turned, and they turned back. But, on Mount Hood, the troop down can be as dangerous as the trip up, especially with whiteout conditions.

Trevor Liston was at the back of the back.

TREVOR LISTON, RESCUED CLIMBER: Visibility was maybe -- I mean, I could make out -- I could make out the lead climber on a 40-foot rope, and I was at the end of the rope.

SIMON: Visibility was so bad, the two women and one man in front failed to see the dangerous next step they and the pet lab they brought along were about to take.

LISTON: I happened to be looking forward at that moment and just saw him just go from a walking position.

SIMON: One of the other climbers was lowered over the edge on a rope to look for their friends.

LISTON: Lowered him down. He just, you know, was yelling at me through the snow. Ended up, I couldn't see him, but we could still hear each other, you know, keep going, keep going, keep going. And, at one point, I could feel slack on the rope, so I knew he was climbing back up, brought him back up, and you couldn't see or -- or hear anything. So, at that point, we knew -- we knew it was over our head and it was time to call for help.

SIMON: They put in a cell phone call for a rescue, but the cell phone signal placed them 2,000 feet below where they actually were.

What helped the rescuers pinpoint them, the electronic mountain locator units they were wearing, something the three climbers who were killed on Mount Hood in December did not bring along.

LISTON: With the group we were going up with this time, we just wanted another extra level of security, another kind of backup plan.

SIMON: As for the dog they huddled with:

LISTON: Ms. Velvet, she -- V-E-L-V-E-T.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: Velvet turned out to be a good traveling companion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: And, boy, just such incredible news to hear about that, Dan.

Now, we heard the climbers were able to actually walk down on their own with the rescuers. What kind of help did they need?

SIMON: Well, Kiran, I have been asking myself the exact same question, because -- I have got to take my IFB out here, getting a little interference.

But the conditions here -- it's almost like being in a hurricane. We are talking about wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. In terms of what they needed, they really needed somebody to guide them. They were a bit disoriented, after being in these conditions for about 24 hours, and, basically, just a lending hand -- absolutely atrocious conditions out here.

This is pretty similar, in terms of what they were going through. When the -- when the snow and the wind hits your face, it feels like it's almost piercing your skin. And, again, fortunately, amazingly, we had a positive outcome here -- Kiran.

CHETRY: And then -- and then you wonder, Dan, how did they survive it, then, with -- with those brutal conditions up there?

It looks like Dan is unable to hear us. We will hear a little bit more about that story coming up, though.

Mount Hood, by the way, is very popular. And, as we have seen, it's a sometimes deadly destination. Here is a look at the "Raw Data."

Next to Mount Fuji in Japan, Hood is believed the second most climbed mountain in the world. Each year, an estimated 10,000 people try to scale it, and some with fatal results. In the past 100 years, there have been at least 130 deaths. Back in 1986, seven high school students and two teachers were killed in a blizzard on that mountain. Just ahead on 360, romancing the religious right -- what Republican candidates are doing to woo the voters that they can't afford to ignore.

Also: orphaned in the Amazon -- why humans are the biggest threat to some of the world's most amazing animals. Anderson is going to join us again from the rain forest in Brazil.

It's all next on 360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: One powerful voting bloc, many suitors -- who will the hearts and votes of the religious right?

Next on 360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: According to the calendar, Valentine's Day is over. It was last week.

But, on the presidential campaign trail, every day, you might say, is Valentine's Day, all the way up to Election Day 2008. To win your party's nomination, you have to start wooing voters early and often. And, if you're a Republican, that means romancing the religious right.

Here's CNN's Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not doing a press avail today, but I'm just happy to see...

(CROSSTALK)

ROMNEY: ... other -- other folks who are people of faith.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you want to be the Republican nominee for president, a convention of religious broadcasters is close to must-do politics.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I respect the work of the religious broadcasters. And I was glad to have the opportunity to meet with them.

CROWLEY: In the 2000 election season, 16 percent of New Hampshire Republican primary voters identified themselves as part of the Christian conservative political movement. A third of South Carolina's Republican primary vote was conservative Christian. And more than a third of caucus-goers in Iowa said they were a part of the religious right.

SUZANNE TABOR, CO-FOUNDER, REVIVAL: I think the Christian conservatives are a force to be reckoned with and could put anyone in office they wanted, if they would get out and vote.

CROWLEY: You hear the echo of their influence down the campaign trail. It is in the announcement speech of Mitt Romney.

ROMNEY: I believe in God. And I believe that every person in this great country and every person on this great planet is a child of God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

CROWLEY: It is in John McCain's journey through the town halls of South Carolina.

MCCAIN: I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned.

CROWLEY: It is even in the interviews of the pro-gay-rights, pro-abortion-rights Rudy Giuliani.

RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Abortion is something I oppose, I don't like on a personal basis.

CROWLEY: It is not enough. For Giuliani, this is a courtship over before it begins.

CHARLES CRISMIER, HOST, "VIEWPOINT": I find it difficult to put him in the Republican camp.

REVEREND ROB SCHENCK, FAITH AND ACTION: He will never be able to connect with our core values. I think he's got to look elsewhere for his support.

CROWLEY: The ex-mayor of New York was looking elsewhere over the weekend.

Any casual conversation reveals, when it comes to other candidates polling in the top tier, conservative Christians are not happy campers. They are suspicious of Arizona Senator John McCain, who once called the Reverends Falwell and Robertson agents of intolerance.

Preparing for the '08 cycle, he tried to make amends.

PATRICK MAHONEY, CHRISTIAN DEFENSE COALITION: I think Senator McCain has a long way to go in rebuilding a bridge to the faith community.

CROWLEY: And conservative Christians are questioning a former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who has, since beginning to think about running for president, changed positions on abortion and gay rights.

BRAD MATTES, HOST, "FACING LIFE HEAD-ON": If that conversion is genuine, yes, then, he would have our support.

CROWLEY: They have heard words before, and they have been disappointed. JIM WEST, PRESIDENT, FAITH TV: You have to look at their stand on the issues not only today, but yesterday and 10 years ago, and whether they are pandering to the crowd.

CROWLEY: This is a necessary, but uneasy courtship.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Later on the program: children forced to kill.

Also, Anderson and Kiran with these stories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY (voice-over): Gentle giants, even the babies.

CORWIN: This manatee is maybe about a month in age. It's probably about a meter in length and weighing about 30 pounds.

CHETRY: Anderson, Jeff, and the people saving one of the Amazon's disappearing treasures.

Oops. She's never done this before...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next thing I know, she grabbed a buzzer and she went to the back of my salon, and she was shaving off her own hair.

CHETRY: ... making Paris Hilton and Tara Reid look downright sane by comparison.

We will have the buzz on Britney's head and what's going on inside of it -- coming up on 360.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the scenario. A summer afternoon in Philadelphia, the parking lot still filling up with fans streaming into the stadium for a Phillies home game. The beer, cold. The air, warm. The ballpark fills with anticipation as the players take the field.

(on camera) But as the first pitch rockets towards home plate, none of the 45,000 inside has any idea of the terrible turn their lives are about to take. That's because terrorists not far away are moving forward on a plot to turn this stadium into both a spectacular political statement and a mass grave.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Well, that's just one of the possible scenarios we're going to be exploring in a special tomorrow on 360 called "Edge of Disaster". I hope you join us for that tomorrow on 360.

Right now we are coming to you from the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Some -- some 20 percent of the rainforest in Brazil has been cut down and burned in the last 40 years, and this forest is disappearing at the rate of about 7,700 square miles every year. Though the last two years, it was a little bit less than that.

But still, especially in this area where we are right now, every day there are slash and burns. You can see the fires of the source are burning all over as far as the eye can see.

Abama (ph), which is the environmental protection agency here in Brazil, is trying in this area very specifically to stop the illegal logging. We're going to be taking a look at that a little bit later on.

But one of the things that we've been looking at with wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin over the last couple of days here in the Amazon is how the threat to the forest is also a threat to many of the species that live in that forest. In particular, over this past weekend Jeff and I took a look at some orphaned manatees and some people who are trying to save them. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF CORWIN, WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST: This is an absolute precious manatee right here. Probably about -- hey, baby -- probably about a month in age. Here you go. There you go.

This manatee is maybe about a month in age. It's probably about a meter in length and weighing about 30 pounds. You can feel its skin is actually wrinkly.

COOPER: How did it get here?

CORWIN: The way its life behind was incredibly tragic. Its mother traveling along sort of a narrow waterway was haunted, probably harpooned or shot. Of course, that babe, this little calf, has nowhere to go. It's completely dependent upon its mother.

So not only did they kill and butcher the mother but they grabbed this little babe right here. And you see this white hole on its flipper, on its paddle? They actually took a spike, a nail and drilled it in through its fin and tethered it to a stump.

COOPER: So they need to weigh?

CORWIN: Absolutely. Essentially, to really understand this creature, to secure its survival, to keep it healthy, we need data so we filled the belly with milk. That's the easy part. The next part is a bit of a challenge.

Got it? There we go. You can see right here, this is where the hole was punched right through this creature's fin. You can see where it exited. And you can imagine how painful that was, to run a spike through this very sensitive tissue is literally like being crucified.

COOPER: They ran it all the way through?

CORWIN: Right here, see? So essentially, this creature this had rusty bit of metal and rope...

COOPER: And they just kept it basically on a leash tied to a tree in the water?

CORWIN: Tethered it to a tree and just let it suffer. As just a spectacle to observe. But lucky it was saved. To me it's amazing that these guys get the creatures at this point.

So what are some of the things we need to do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Usually we take every week the measurements of the animals to see how he's growing. And also we feed him enough and we take their weight. So he's weighing now 18 kilos. We want to -- the growth of this animal, and when they were able to start to be independent, so we can reintroduce them in the wild again.

COOPER: So you'll be able to reintroduce this one to the wild?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Now if it's -- everything works fine in turn to release actually 50 percent of the animals we have.

CORWIN: What do you estimate the population today of manatees in the wild?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe myself the population is increasing.

CORWIN: You feel it's actually recovering?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I believe it's recovering but we don't have a number. But considering the size of the Amazon, there are some thousands of animals.

CORWIN: Look at their eyes. I love their eyes. The secret for survival for this creature is to live in an aquatic environment. So its eyes actually do not close up. They don't blink, but dilate. They can slit to close.

And also, what I love, too, is even the nostril can close. It plugs up so when it goes under water.

COOPER: So that's closed up?

CORWIN: Yes. So when they breathe, it opens up. Air comes in and he closes it up.

COOPER: So there's a lot about manatees that's still not known?

CORWIN: Absolutely. They're incredibly mysterious creatures. COOPER: Do you need any more data?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I got everything.

CORWIN: Remember, don't drop the manatee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just wait a little bit until he calms down. Hold him here. Yes.

CORWIN: How is that, huh? Not every day do you get to hang out with an Amazon manatee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: It's not easy to keep manatees alive in a reserve like that. They're working very hard to do it. Just one of the conservation efforts that we've been highlighting here on 360 over the last week or so.

Let's go back to New York with Kiran Chetry -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Anderson, thanks. Really amazing to see that up close.

Meantime, she shaved her head, as we all know today. And some are wondering if she's lost her mind along with those locks. We're going to ask Dr. Drew Pinsky what he thinks is going on with Britney Spears.

Also, there are some new pictures of the final moments of JFK's life. It's the home video shot on that horrible day in Dallas that hasn't been seen until now. That's still ahead on 360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: These two things are following Britney Spears everywhere she goes lately: cameras and controversy. And just when you thought you heard it all about the pop princess here comes the newest shocker. She shaved her head, leaving some to wonder if she lost more than just her hair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, Britney!

CHETRY (voice-over): The extreme makeover began on Friday. Britney Spears walked into the Los Angeles hair salon with a request that stunned the owner.

TOGNOZZI: I said, "Well, I'm not shaving your hair off," and I tried to talk her out of it. I said, "Are you sure you're not having a bad day and tomorrow you'll feel differently about it? Why don't we wait a little bit?"

She said, "No, I absolutely want it shaved off now."

CHETRY: That's when Spears took matters into her own hands. TOGNOZZI: Next thing I know she grabbed the buzzer and she went to the back of my salon, and she was shaving off her own hair and she actually enjoyed shaving off her own hair.

CHETRY: From there, Spears went too a tattoo parlor. "People" magazine posted this picture of Spears getting tattoos on her hip and wrists. Later she talked about her new look: "No more hair extensions."

EMILY WINN-HUGHES, TATTOO ARTIST: She basically just said that she was tired of having things plugged into it, and she didn't want anybody to touch her. Tired of people touching her, that sort of thing. It seemed like she was kind of sick of it all, whatever it all is.

CHETRY: It may be her new reality show life, one that seems to be spiraling out of control. There were reports she collapsed or fell asleep at a New Year's Eve party. On the Internet, video of Spears slurring her words has surfaced.

She's also been appearing in public apparently without underwear. Spears has been married twice and has two small children from her last marriage to dancer turned aspiring rapper Kevin Federline.

"People" magazine reported that she entered a rehab facility last week only to leave after a day.

Since Spears shaved her head, "People" magazine spotted her wearing a blond wig. For some her close shave may be a sign that the 25-year-old celebrity wants to be more independent and in charge of her life.

Others, however, see it as a cry for help.

TOGNOZZI: The only emotion she showed was when she said, "My mom's going to be really upset," and she got teary-eyed. And I think her mom should maybe get a hold of her little girl. I think she needs her family.

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CHETRY: So whether shaving her head is a form of liberation or really just a meltdown, it's clear that Britney Spears is displaying some pretty strange behavior.

Dr. Drew Pinsky is an addiction specialist, and he joins us now from Los Angeles.

Great to see you.

DR. DREW PINSKY, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Thank you.

CHETRY: So Dr. Drew, let's start with this bizarre head-shaving incident. Is this simply a rebellious act or is it something that she should take more seriously? PINSKY: Well, it could be, but this is a very serious situation. You have someone who has been through two pregnancies, is recently postpartum, a recent divorce, the stresses of a career, who apparently was in a chemical dependency program.

Now, people are not admitted to a chemical dependency program unless they meet certain criteria, meaning for addiction. So we -- and by the way, I run a chemical dependency program, and when people leave impulsively, suddenly, soon after admission, that's a terrible sign. It's a very bad prognostic sign. Y

So you have multiple stressors, multiple biological problems, a very bad prognostic sign and now bizarre behavior. I think the context of this discussion has to be thought of now in terms of someone who is very desperately ill and who could be in a dangerous situation.

CHETRY: Right. Because she checked in, I guess, to some sort of rehab facility and then left in less than a day.

PINSKY: Right. You don't -- you don't get admitted unless you meet criteria for admission. So we know she had to meet that criteria, and then she couldn't even tolerate being within the four walls of the facility while impulsively leaving. That's a horrible sign. That's not a good sign at all.

CHETRY: And first thing a lot of people say is how concerned should we be for her poor kids? I mean, she has two babies.

PINSKY: Well, absolutely, you know. But here's the deal. You know, I treat a lot of celebrities, and it's not like we use a different standard when evaluating a celebrity. They are human beings that have the same psychiatric and medical conditions that anybody else does.

And absolutely, when there is unstable behavior, when there's chemical uses, the children are profoundly affected by that. The first thing is to assess the safety of the environment. And secondly, having a mom who's sort of not available or abandoning for some reason can have a tremendous impact on the children. It can be healed, but it has to be dealt with very thoroughly.

CHETRY: You said something interesting. And you said that you really have to set certain criteria to be placed into a rehab facility. So even if you are a big celebrity, you can't just check in because you need a break? There has to be some evidence of drug or alcohol abuse?

PINSKY: Look -- listen, if it's a hospital-based program, you have to meet admission criteria. Those admission criteria are reviewed by the state and multiple peer review organizations. It's not as though you can just, you know, buy your way into something, a hospital. It's just -- it's not the way it works.

Not only that, look, again, the people have psychiatric and medical and psychological problems, just like anybody else. And the reality is if somebody has an addictive disease, their prognosis is, in many cases, worse than most cancer patients.

We've just recently lost a young woman to addiction. I'm very concerned for Britney and the cohorts she hangs around with, that these are people -- Lindsey is in treatment now. They're multiple -- and they're being treated appropriately. As a medical condition with potential very serious outcomes, which we now all heard about recently in the press with Anna Nicole.

CHETRY: Right. And there's been, actually, a lot of talk saying that people who surrounded Anna Nicole, why didn't they do more to help?

And we have, actually, an excerpt from a letter that Britney's former assistant, Felicia Culotta, posted on an entertainment web site called That Other Blog. And she wrote, "We (as in her family and nearest and dearest -- ALL of whom are NOT on the payroll anymore!!) are doing EVERYTHING in our power to get help for Britney and all in our power NOT to pad the bottom or move the bottom, so when she does indeed hit rock bottom, she'll stand up and walk away from this whole fiasco."

She goes on in this case.

But maybe there are people in Anna Nicole's situation who also thought, "Let's let her hit rock bottom," and look what happened.

PINSKY: Well, actually, I heard about people in Anna Nicole's case trying to help her, and they were summarily dismissed by Anna Nicole.

In Britney's case, I actually had an opportunity to talk to the salon owner a few hours ago. And she said that one of the things that happened in the salon was she tried to discourage Britney from doing this, and her bodyguard said, "It's her body. She can do whatever she wants."

That is a profoundly disturbing observation. That's the idea that all of the people around her are going to let her do anything, no matter how bizarre, no matter how dangerous, no matter what the implications are. And that's how these people get into very serious trouble, and that's how we lost Anna Nicole.

CHETRY: All right. And what does it say about all of us, that this is all people have been talking about for two days? Or is it a girl who just shaved her head?

PINSKY: No. I think really, we've got to understand that celebrities are humans just like anybody else and these behaviors we're seeing are indicative of potentially serious issues and they deserve our sympathy and concern.

CHETRY: All right. Well, thanks for your insight today, Dr. Drew Pinsky. Great to see you tonight. Thanks.

PINSKY: My pleasure. CHETRY: And just ahead, much more from Anderson in the Amazon rainforest. He's been there for a week now, exploring the jungle. And some of the things that he has found are simply amazing.

Plus on this President's Day, a remarkable relic. It's something that's never before been seen. It's footage of president John F. Kennedy just moments before he was killed in Dallas. It was a home movie that captured history. Ahead on 360.

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CORWIN: There, you'll see another world of wasps right there. And look at that. How's that for a little wow?

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JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: A remarkable look there and more from Anderson in the Amazon rainforest still ahead.

Also, incredible images from the past. A moment in history hidden in a home movie. President John F. Kennedy's final moments alive.

But first here's a "360 News and Business Bulletin".

Leaders of longtime rivals Pakistan and India are pressing ahead with their peace process just hours after a deadly bombing apparently meant to disrupt those talks. An Indian passenger train bound for Pakistan was the target. At least 66 people on board died after two bombs ignited an intense fire. Dozens of people were hospitalized. Leaders from both countries quickly denounced the attack.

In Pittsburgh, firefighters tonight are battling a multi-alarm fire at an auto salvage yard. It has already caused one roof to collapse. Difficult work any time, especially in the winter, after a week of snow, ice and frigid temperatures. No word yet on injuries or the cause.

Satellite radio rivals XM and Sirius have agreed to merge. It would be an unprecedented deal if approved but faces tough scrutiny from federal regulators because of antitrust issues.

The U.S. markets were closed today for the holiday. We'll find out tomorrow just how Wall Street reacts.

And still struggling to recover from a major public relations disaster, JetBlue today cancelled nearly a quarter of its flights nationwide and announced it has created a customer bill of rights to protect flyers from future debacles. The airline was virtually paralyzed by last week's ice storms. It plans to be fully operational, it says, by Wednesday.

Now tonight's shot. This is truly remarkable. Take a close look. This recently discovered home video was unveiled today on the web site of a Dallas museum. It shows President John F. Kennedy's motorcade just moments before his 1963 assassination. The image of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy is exceptionally clear.

Amateur photographer George Jeffries took the footage and held onto it for more than 40 years. His son-in-law, though, convinced him to donate it to the museum.

Now back to the Amazon rainforest. We'll have much more from Anderson and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin in our next hour.

First, here's another look at the remarkable images they have seen and felt.

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CORWIN: Let me see your finger, all right? It won't hurt.

Just trust me! Ready?

COOPER: You're making me bleed. You said I could trust you and you make me bleed?

CORWIN: But it really stinks, doesn't it?

COOPER: Yes, it does.

CORWIN: That's because not only is this palm tree armed with these barbs, with these spines, but on the tip of each one of these spines is a bacteria that actually promotes stinging, so that's why it stings more than a normal sort of little pinprick. So there you go.

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KING: Straight ahead tonight, Anderson with an elite unit working to save the Amazon.

And later, Osama bin Laden's still out there and so are his troops. Al Qaeda gathering strength, where Americans ought to have access but don't. 360 next.

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COOPER: We'll take you on patrol with those fighting against the people trying to destroy this rainforest. A 360 exclusive, next.

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COOPER: And we are coming to you live tonight from the rainforest in Brazil, from the Amazon rainforest. We can't tell you the exact location for security reasons. We'll explain that in just a moment.

But first I want to introduce my other anchors tonight. Kiran Chetry is going to be anchoring out of New York and John King out is in Washington. Guys, we'll get to you shortly. There's a lot of news to talk about out of Iraq and out of Washington and out of Afghanistan and Pakistan about an insurgent of al Qaeda. We'll get to that in a moment.

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