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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Julie Scardina
Aired December 13, 2003 - 09:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, now time for our gratuitous animal segment. But today, it's not on tape. You don't have to worry about the, you know, the roller-skating squirrels or anything like that. We've got the real thing.
Joining us is Julie Scardina. She's the animal ambassador for SeaWorld Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove. And she has Alina (ph) with her. Alina is in the lap of Kerry (ph), who is also with SeaWorld and Conservation.
COLLINS: Hi, Alina.
SAN MIGUEL: What is Alina's story? Alina's an orangutan. What is the story with her?
JULIE SCARDINA, SEAWORLD ANIMAL AMBASSADOR: Well, you know, Alina was born right at Busch Gardens. But her mom had some complications. She had to be actually born by caesarean section. So the keepers, like Kerry here, have been raising her 24 hours a day.
It's an amazing story, because this is an endangered species, which isn't often conceived and raised in zoological parks anyway. So it's a great story. There's only 15,000 to 20,000 of these left in the wild, only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
SAN MIGUEL: OK.
SCARDINA: So...
SAN MIGUEL: Now, tell us what's going on on those islands. I mean, there is a real deforestation issue going on (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SCARDINA: Absolutely. You know, logging has increased over the past 20 years to destroy over 80 percent of their natural habitat, basically. And that's -- a lot of it is because of the decentralization of the government, that there's a lot of illegal logging going on as well.
So one of the things that people can really do is make sure that they're buying sustainably harvested and certified wood products, because there's so much illegal stuff coming out of Indonesia that it's something that everybody can do to really help us make sure that that's what they're buying.
SAN MIGUEL: And, you know, bringing these kinds of issues to light is what the Busch Conservation -- Busch Gardens Conservation Fund does. I mean, tell us a little bit about how you're trying to highlight some of these issues with endangered species.
SCARDINA: Yes, well, the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Conservation Fund is a fairly brand-new entity, even though SeaWorld/Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove, as well as our parent company, Anheuser-Busch, has always been environmentally conscious and active.
So it's something that comes from our heritage. We wanted to take it one step further. We get a lot of questions at the park. You know, I work at the SeaWorld parks, all these keepers work at Busch Gardens or Discovery Cove. And people come up to us and say, What can I do? What can I do?
Well, it's a way for us to continue our support, but also allow our guests to be able to support conservation around the world.
SAN MIGUEL: OK.
SCARDINA: And we have projects that actually do occur on just about every continent.
SAN MIGUEL: It sounds like. And I know that, I mean, it's really -- it takes a lot to Alina to travel, because she doesn't really travel that much, does she? It's kind of a sense -- she's very sensitive nature for her, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
SCARDINA: That's right. You know, and when we've got two keepers and a veterinarian with her.
SAN MIGUEL: Oh, man, she's got her own entourage.
SCARDINA: And -- yes, and we make sure that she's got all the creature comforts that she can possibly have.
SAN MIGUEL: Literally, creature comforts.
SCARDINA: Here, you want a few more grapes, you know? We brought a few more animals with us.
Oh, she's going to just take them all and shove them all in her mouth...
SAN MIGUEL: Well, the look, the look on her face...
SCARDINA: ... at one time. Oh, wow.
SAN MIGUEL: ... was like, you know, she was, like, Christmas early for Alina.
SCARDINA: Yes, look at that. How many grapes can I possibly fit in my mouth?
SAN MIGUEL: Well, we're going to let her go ahead and handle those, because we do have some other animals that we want to...
SCARDINA: That's right.
SAN MIGUEL: ... we want to show here. The next one is -- I believe this is a...
COLLINS: This is (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SAN MIGUEL: ... a tamandua, am I say...
SCARDINA: A ta-MAN-dua...
SAN MIGUEL: Ta-MAN-dua, OK.
SCARDINA: ... correct, yes. This is from South America.
SAN MIGUEL: It looks like a -- just like a toy anteater or something.
SCARDINA: Yes, well, that's exactly right. He's a lesser anteater, or, you know, basically a smaller species than the giant. They have some really unique characteristics, anteaters do. You can see these large claws. And, of course, those are used for tearing into termite mounds and things.
And, you know, we talked about the fact that we have conservation projects all over the world, and Brazil, where these guys are from, is another location where we do have it. There's a great...
SAN MIGUEL: I was going to say, if we can get the camera to come through me and...
SCARDINA: Great shot of that tongue.
SAN MIGUEL: ... you can see the tongue working there, trying to get at some of those -- whatever those are in the test tube there.
SCARDINA: Yes, little grubs in there. You know, like I said, they'll tear apart termite mounds for the -- you know, whatever they find inside. They'll eat other types of insects as well. And, of course, they got that tongue so that they can get really down far inside the nest and get at all the bugs that are down there.
So that tongue can actually stretch out, believe it or not, 16 inches.
SAN MIGUEL: Wow, OK.
SCARDINA: So...
SAN MIGUEL: And this is -- you know, whether a normal anteater, or, I guess, you know, one of the bigger (UNINTELLIGIBLE) will get to about 100 pounds. Just about 10 pounds for this one.
SCARDINA: Exactly.
SAN MIGUEL: And you'll find it in the trees, as you said.
SCARDINA: They're arboreal...
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SCARDINA: ... they have a grasping tail, or a prehensile tail...
SAN MIGUEL: There you go.
SCARDINA: ... and you see her...
SAN MIGUEL: You can see it right here.
SCARDINA: ... hanging onto me? There we go, see?
SAN MIGUEL: There you go, it's hanging right...
SCARDINA: You got a tail this -- yes...
SAN MIGUEL: ... there up by the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the box.
SCARDINA: ... a tail just, yes, hanging on, and that's exactly what they use it for, you know, kind of a fifth limb when they're climbing around in the trees.
SAN MIGUEL: Gotcha.
SCARDINA: So it's a very well-adapted animal for their environment. But it's also sensitive because of the logging as well...
SAN MIGUEL: So it's also an endangered species as well.
SCARDINA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Well, it's not an endangered species, but definitely it's not a common species that's found everywhere.
SAN MIGUEL: Gotcha. Well, let's hope that your work keeps it off the endangered species list.
We're going to move on now to a rock hyrex (ph).
SCARDINA: This is little Ruby, and...
SAN MIGUEL: Ruby.
SCARDINA: ... Ruby is a very unusual little animal from Africa. They live in groups up in the -- basically up in the...
SAN MIGUEL: Oh, my goodness.
SCARDINA: ... rock formations in Africa, up on the cliffs. And they're little animals that, believe it or not, now they are related to elephants and manatees.
SAN MIGUEL: OK.
SCARDINA: And a lot of people say... SAN MIGUEL: I'm not seeing the family connection here.
SCARDINA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) fake there, Ruby.
SAN MIGUEL: I was going to say, don't have her go to the poinsettias there. We -- that takes a lot...
SCARDINA: Yes, well, tell you what, we've got...
SAN MIGUEL: ... out of our decorating budget here.
SCARDINA: ... we've got a lot of different types of choices for Ruby to eat here. They are vegetarians, just like elephants and manatees as well. They have tusks, believe it or not. Their two top incisors are basically, you know, long, elongated tusks.
SAN MIGUEL: And they will come out? OK.
SCARDINA: And so they have a lot of similarities between animals that you would never imagine. And that's one of the things that SeaWorld and Busch Gardens that we're very much trying to make sure that people understand that, you know, there are a lot of things about animals that are so unique and so interesting and just amazing, that when people get close to them, they have the opportunity to see things that they don't when, you know, they're just on TV.
SAN MIGUEL: And they may not be aware that, you know, that this, you know, these, the numbers of these species are getting smaller and smaller because of what's going on around the world. And this is where your group comes in as well.
SCARDINA: That's exactly right. There's things that...
SAN MIGUEL: All right.
SCARDINA: ... people can do to help.
SAN MIGUEL: We have got to leave it there. Julie Scardina with Busch Gardens and the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, thanks so much for bringing your friends in for all the entourage, for all the interesting animals that you're bringing in as well.
SCARDINA: That's right. Thank you very much, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: We appreciate your time. And good luck with the fund.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 13, 2003 - 09:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, now time for our gratuitous animal segment. But today, it's not on tape. You don't have to worry about the, you know, the roller-skating squirrels or anything like that. We've got the real thing.
Joining us is Julie Scardina. She's the animal ambassador for SeaWorld Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove. And she has Alina (ph) with her. Alina is in the lap of Kerry (ph), who is also with SeaWorld and Conservation.
COLLINS: Hi, Alina.
SAN MIGUEL: What is Alina's story? Alina's an orangutan. What is the story with her?
JULIE SCARDINA, SEAWORLD ANIMAL AMBASSADOR: Well, you know, Alina was born right at Busch Gardens. But her mom had some complications. She had to be actually born by caesarean section. So the keepers, like Kerry here, have been raising her 24 hours a day.
It's an amazing story, because this is an endangered species, which isn't often conceived and raised in zoological parks anyway. So it's a great story. There's only 15,000 to 20,000 of these left in the wild, only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
SAN MIGUEL: OK.
SCARDINA: So...
SAN MIGUEL: Now, tell us what's going on on those islands. I mean, there is a real deforestation issue going on (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SCARDINA: Absolutely. You know, logging has increased over the past 20 years to destroy over 80 percent of their natural habitat, basically. And that's -- a lot of it is because of the decentralization of the government, that there's a lot of illegal logging going on as well.
So one of the things that people can really do is make sure that they're buying sustainably harvested and certified wood products, because there's so much illegal stuff coming out of Indonesia that it's something that everybody can do to really help us make sure that that's what they're buying.
SAN MIGUEL: And, you know, bringing these kinds of issues to light is what the Busch Conservation -- Busch Gardens Conservation Fund does. I mean, tell us a little bit about how you're trying to highlight some of these issues with endangered species.
SCARDINA: Yes, well, the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Conservation Fund is a fairly brand-new entity, even though SeaWorld/Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove, as well as our parent company, Anheuser-Busch, has always been environmentally conscious and active.
So it's something that comes from our heritage. We wanted to take it one step further. We get a lot of questions at the park. You know, I work at the SeaWorld parks, all these keepers work at Busch Gardens or Discovery Cove. And people come up to us and say, What can I do? What can I do?
Well, it's a way for us to continue our support, but also allow our guests to be able to support conservation around the world.
SAN MIGUEL: OK.
SCARDINA: And we have projects that actually do occur on just about every continent.
SAN MIGUEL: It sounds like. And I know that, I mean, it's really -- it takes a lot to Alina to travel, because she doesn't really travel that much, does she? It's kind of a sense -- she's very sensitive nature for her, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
SCARDINA: That's right. You know, and when we've got two keepers and a veterinarian with her.
SAN MIGUEL: Oh, man, she's got her own entourage.
SCARDINA: And -- yes, and we make sure that she's got all the creature comforts that she can possibly have.
SAN MIGUEL: Literally, creature comforts.
SCARDINA: Here, you want a few more grapes, you know? We brought a few more animals with us.
Oh, she's going to just take them all and shove them all in her mouth...
SAN MIGUEL: Well, the look, the look on her face...
SCARDINA: ... at one time. Oh, wow.
SAN MIGUEL: ... was like, you know, she was, like, Christmas early for Alina.
SCARDINA: Yes, look at that. How many grapes can I possibly fit in my mouth?
SAN MIGUEL: Well, we're going to let her go ahead and handle those, because we do have some other animals that we want to...
SCARDINA: That's right.
SAN MIGUEL: ... we want to show here. The next one is -- I believe this is a...
COLLINS: This is (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SAN MIGUEL: ... a tamandua, am I say...
SCARDINA: A ta-MAN-dua...
SAN MIGUEL: Ta-MAN-dua, OK.
SCARDINA: ... correct, yes. This is from South America.
SAN MIGUEL: It looks like a -- just like a toy anteater or something.
SCARDINA: Yes, well, that's exactly right. He's a lesser anteater, or, you know, basically a smaller species than the giant. They have some really unique characteristics, anteaters do. You can see these large claws. And, of course, those are used for tearing into termite mounds and things.
And, you know, we talked about the fact that we have conservation projects all over the world, and Brazil, where these guys are from, is another location where we do have it. There's a great...
SAN MIGUEL: I was going to say, if we can get the camera to come through me and...
SCARDINA: Great shot of that tongue.
SAN MIGUEL: ... you can see the tongue working there, trying to get at some of those -- whatever those are in the test tube there.
SCARDINA: Yes, little grubs in there. You know, like I said, they'll tear apart termite mounds for the -- you know, whatever they find inside. They'll eat other types of insects as well. And, of course, they got that tongue so that they can get really down far inside the nest and get at all the bugs that are down there.
So that tongue can actually stretch out, believe it or not, 16 inches.
SAN MIGUEL: Wow, OK.
SCARDINA: So...
SAN MIGUEL: And this is -- you know, whether a normal anteater, or, I guess, you know, one of the bigger (UNINTELLIGIBLE) will get to about 100 pounds. Just about 10 pounds for this one.
SCARDINA: Exactly.
SAN MIGUEL: And you'll find it in the trees, as you said.
SCARDINA: They're arboreal...
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SCARDINA: ... they have a grasping tail, or a prehensile tail...
SAN MIGUEL: There you go.
SCARDINA: ... and you see her...
SAN MIGUEL: You can see it right here.
SCARDINA: ... hanging onto me? There we go, see?
SAN MIGUEL: There you go, it's hanging right...
SCARDINA: You got a tail this -- yes...
SAN MIGUEL: ... there up by the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the box.
SCARDINA: ... a tail just, yes, hanging on, and that's exactly what they use it for, you know, kind of a fifth limb when they're climbing around in the trees.
SAN MIGUEL: Gotcha.
SCARDINA: So it's a very well-adapted animal for their environment. But it's also sensitive because of the logging as well...
SAN MIGUEL: So it's also an endangered species as well.
SCARDINA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Well, it's not an endangered species, but definitely it's not a common species that's found everywhere.
SAN MIGUEL: Gotcha. Well, let's hope that your work keeps it off the endangered species list.
We're going to move on now to a rock hyrex (ph).
SCARDINA: This is little Ruby, and...
SAN MIGUEL: Ruby.
SCARDINA: ... Ruby is a very unusual little animal from Africa. They live in groups up in the -- basically up in the...
SAN MIGUEL: Oh, my goodness.
SCARDINA: ... rock formations in Africa, up on the cliffs. And they're little animals that, believe it or not, now they are related to elephants and manatees.
SAN MIGUEL: OK.
SCARDINA: And a lot of people say... SAN MIGUEL: I'm not seeing the family connection here.
SCARDINA: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) fake there, Ruby.
SAN MIGUEL: I was going to say, don't have her go to the poinsettias there. We -- that takes a lot...
SCARDINA: Yes, well, tell you what, we've got...
SAN MIGUEL: ... out of our decorating budget here.
SCARDINA: ... we've got a lot of different types of choices for Ruby to eat here. They are vegetarians, just like elephants and manatees as well. They have tusks, believe it or not. Their two top incisors are basically, you know, long, elongated tusks.
SAN MIGUEL: And they will come out? OK.
SCARDINA: And so they have a lot of similarities between animals that you would never imagine. And that's one of the things that SeaWorld and Busch Gardens that we're very much trying to make sure that people understand that, you know, there are a lot of things about animals that are so unique and so interesting and just amazing, that when people get close to them, they have the opportunity to see things that they don't when, you know, they're just on TV.
SAN MIGUEL: And they may not be aware that, you know, that this, you know, these, the numbers of these species are getting smaller and smaller because of what's going on around the world. And this is where your group comes in as well.
SCARDINA: That's exactly right. There's things that...
SAN MIGUEL: All right.
SCARDINA: ... people can do to help.
SAN MIGUEL: We have got to leave it there. Julie Scardina with Busch Gardens and the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, thanks so much for bringing your friends in for all the entourage, for all the interesting animals that you're bringing in as well.
SCARDINA: That's right. Thank you very much, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: We appreciate your time. And good luck with the fund.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
