The Morning Zoo

CBS This Morning anchor Mark McEwen hosted this segment on endangered species on May 27. Watch CBS This Morning weekdays from 7AM ET to 9AM ET (check local listings).size>

Mark McEwen: We're always glad when Joan Embery joins us because she always brings along her friends. Like this one, the cheetah, one of the fastest animals in the world.

It's also one of 1,000 endangered species. Joan is here to fill us in on a campaign called "The Roundup For Species Survival." So this cheetah's name is...?

Joan Embery: His name is Kramer. When he was a baby, he had lots of hair. And that's how he got his name. He's an endangered cat -- (there are) about 10,000 left. At the turn of the century, there were 100,000 cheetahs. That's a 90 percent decline for them.

McEwen: How did that happen?

Embery: The human population is growing in Africa -- it's one of the fastest-growing populations. And, unfortunately, the cheetahs are losing ground. Domestic livestock has been introduced, taking over much of the area. And when the cheetahs prey on domestic livestock, they become a threat and are killed by farmers. It's competition with humans. In the future, we have to set aside critical habitat.

McEwen: How is your roundup helping?

Embery: It was started to raise funds in each community for their local zoo for endangered species. $1 from every roundup product goes to the local zoo. We have 35 zoos receiving funds. It's a product environmentally favorable. It breaks down into natural elements. We hope to bring attention to endangered wildlife and support captive breeding -- insurance against our loss in the wild. If we lose ground in the wild, we want to ensure we have captive breeding cats. We had over 100 born in our wild animal park in San Diego.

McEwen: For people at home, I'm not wearing any cat chow or anything. Why is he licking my hand? For the salt?

Embery: Yeah. And he likes people. It's the socialization. He's very visually oriented. He watches everything in the studio. He doesn't miss a thing. They watch for game and they run down their game at speeds up to 65 miles per hour, as fast as you drive your automobile. Incredibly fast.

McEwen: This program is helping the rhino. Tell me about that.

Embery: That's right. And what we want to do is show what is happening to rhinos in Africa. We're looking at northern white and southern white rhinos, which are the square lipped. The wild population of rhino is at 12,500. There are only five species. We're losing them for their horn, which is being poached and going to Asian countries, where it's thought to have medicinal qualities. With 12,500 and 1,000 in captivity -- oten percent of their population -- we have seen between a 75 percent and 90 percent decline of all rhino species.

There are 2,500 of the Indian rhino left. The northern white, there are only 33 left or known to exist. The most populated one is the southern white, which has come back. The black rhinos went from 65,000 in 1970 to only 2,500 today. Those remaining are found behind fences in preserves in Africa with armed guards. That is just how rare that animal has become.

McEwen: This is a condor.

Embery: We'll see if she will open her wings for you. This is the largest flying bird in the world.

McEwen: Look at the wings.

Embery: This is an Andean condor. As you know in California, we have the rarest North American bird, called the California condor. Talking about how quickly we can lose wildlife, the California condor dropped to a low of about 25 birds total in 1982. All birds were removed and they were placed at the Los Angeles Zoo and the San Diego Zoo wild park and now also in Boise, Idaho. We have from that 25 nucleus, 38 birds flying in the wild and 142 in captivity.

McEwen: That's part of bringing the bird into captivity, to help it from becoming extinct?

Embery: To protect it and then placing the successful hatchlings that have taken place in captivity back into the wild. Zoos do gather information. We reintroduce animals and work collectively to ensure the survival of very rare species.

McEwen: Wonderful. Lovely bird.

Embery: Magnificent bird.

McEwen: Look at the wings.

Embery: That's the largest member of the vulture family. Flies 100 miles in a single day.

McEwen: Takes 1,400 people to keep them around here. This is a lemur. One of the reasons they became extinct is because their habitat disappears.

Embery:> This animal comes from Madagascar, an island. It's the only place you'll find lemurs. He likes to be groomed. Eighty-five percent of the forest in Madagascar has been cut. We have five and a quarter billion people on the planet and our population continues to climb. The key in the future is to set aside critical habitat and ensure survival with captive breeding.

McEwen: Now we have found one coming in here. It takes 14,000 people to bring in. This is a python. Look at this.

Embery: Many people do want to save the giant panda with only 1,000 left. They do want to save the gorillas of Rwanda. But when we look at the diversity of life on our planet, not everybody feels the same way about something like snakes or insects. Yet, in nature, it's the balance of all of these species which ensures the survival of all our natural world. So, snakes are beneficial. This is a Burmese python. She is 16 feet long, weighs 120 pounds.

McEwen: When did she eat last?

Embery: She ate a week ago.

McEwen: A week ago?

Embery: The eyes are gray color. The eye cap is beginning to shed. This snake within the next couple of days will shed its entire skin to accommodate its growth because it's still growing.

McEwen: And it's breathing, and the licking sort of finds out what is going on?

Embery: That's right. The tongue picks up particles in the air which go to the roof of the mouth and that's how snakes smell. The organ allows them to pick up particles and find their way. This snake has been taken for its skin. In many developing countries, wildlife is seen as a quick source of revenue. Unfortunately, they can't be replenished.

McEwen: Joan Embery, thanks for being with us.