I'M CHRISTIE CASCIANO. *JEFF:* AND I'M JEFF KULIKOWSKY. THIS SUNDAY, ADMISSION AT THE ROSAMOND GIFFORD ZOO IS FREE -- FOR NATIONAL TWIN DAY. *CHRISTIE:* IT'S TO CELEBRATE THE ZOO'S OWN SIX-WEEKS OLD, ELEPHANT TWINS. LAST NIGHT, NEWSCHANNEL NINE'S ANDREW DONOVAN GAVE YOU A RARE, UP- CLOSE LOOK AT THE BOYS.*JEFF:* TONIGHT -- HE SHARES MORE -- HOW THEY'RE HELPING ERADICATE A DISEASE THAT KILLED THEIR BROTHERS. ASHLEY SHEPPERD IS THE ZOO'S COLLECTIONS MANAGER ASSIGNED TO ELEPHANTS. SHE FIRST INTERNED WITH THEM FIFTEEN YEARS AGO AS A STUDENT AT SUNY OSWEGO. ASHLEY SHEPPERD: "I GREW UP HERE IN SYRACUSE, SO MY FIRST INTERACTION WAS AS A KID BEING ABLE TO PET AN ELEPHANT AT THE FENCE LINE." ASHLEY SHEPPERD: "WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BE NERVOUS IF WE'RE TOUCHING THEM, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO KEEP THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO STAY." NOW, SHE'S RE- ENFORCING THE FENCE SO THE TWIN BOYS DON'T SNEAK OUT. ASHLEY SHEPPERD: "WE ARE WAY MORE HELICOPTER PARENTS FOR THESE BABIES THAN WE EVER HAVE BEEN BEFORE." ANDREW DONOVAN: "WE CHOSE ONE OF THE LAST 50 DEGREE DAYS TO MEET THE ELEPHANTS, KNOWING THE WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE TO BE JUST RIGHT BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL VULNERABLE." ASHLEY SHEPPERD: "AS THEY GAIN WEIGHT, AND HAVE A LITTLE MORE INSULATION, IT WILL BE MORE COMFORTABLE FOR US TO BRING THEM OUT." THEIR HESITATION IS UNDERSTANDABLE.
... TED FOX: "IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO WHEN WE LOST THEIR OLDER BROTHERS. AJI AND BATU." TWO-YEAR-OLD AND SIX-YEAR-OLD DIED FROM HERPES IN TWENTY TWENTY, THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN YOUNG ELEPHANTS. DAN MEATES: "WE HAVE A CLOSE CONNECTION WITH THESE ANIMALS AND IT IS DEVASTATING. YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO GET OVER THAT. NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, YOU'RE NOT. WE ALWAYS THINK OF BATU AND AJI ON A REGULAR BASIS." TED FOX: "THAT WAS THE MOST DEVASTATING TIME IN MY CAREER. WATCHING THE PASSION AND DEDICATION AND STAFF TRYING TO KEEP THEM COMFORTABLE, WHEN WE KNEW THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULDN'T DOING ANYTHING MORE.
NOBODY WANTS TO LIVE THROUGH THAT AGAIN. THAT'S IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND WHEN YOU'RE WATHCING THESE GUYS." DAN MEATES: "WE HAD THE LOSS OF TWO BOYS. AND WE GOT TWO BOYS. I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF THAT TO BE HONEST. KIND OF A GIFT." ANDREW ASKS: "MAYBE SOME DIVIE INTERVENTION TOO?" DAN MEATES: "CORRECT." NOT EVERYONE THINKS LIFE HERE IS A BLESSING. THIS PARK HAS BEEN PUT ON THE "WORST ZOOS FOR ELEPHANTS" LIST PUBLISHED BY THE GROUP, "IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS." DEATHS -- AND BIRTHS -- ARE FODDER FOR ANIMAL ADVOCATES WHO PROTEST CAPTIVE HABITATS. TED FOX: "THERE WERE A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, ABOUT, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING? SHOULD WE BE BREEDING ELEPHANTS?" THE ZOO DIRECTOR'S ANSWER...
AN UNEQUIVOCAL YES. TED FOX: "WE'RE LEARNING AND GETTING CLOSER EVERY DAY TO BETTER TREATMENT FOR THAT HERPES VIRUS. DEADLY TO NOT ONLY ANIMALS IN HUMAN CARE, BUT IN THE WILD, WE HAVE TO DO THIS." TED FOX: "IT'S JUST LIKE ANY HUMAN DISEASE. IF WE STOP RESEARCHING, IF WE STOP TRYING TO COME UP WITH BETTER MEANS OF TREATMENT OR A VACCINE, THEN WE'VE GIVEN UP." ASHLEY SHEPPERD: "I REMEMBER MALI AS A BABY...." AS CARRIERS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS, THESE ADULT ELEPHANTS ARE TESTED TWICE A WEEK. THE KEEPERS GET TO KNOW THE BABIES WELL TO SPOT EARLY STAGES OF ILLNESS. ASHLEY SHEPPERD: "TO KNOW THAT AJI AND BATU WERE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO REASEARCH THAT COULD HELP THESE GUYS IN THE FUTURE IS SPECIAL, AND IMPORTANT TOO.
WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN FOR THESE TWO BOYS, IN HONOR OF THOSE TWO." THE ZOO PARTICIPATES IN RESEARCH FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT AND STEM CELL TREAMENTS. MALI WASN'T ABLE TO MATE WITH THE TWIN'S FATHER, DOC, WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF NORTH AMERICAN ELEPHANT BREEDING. DAN MEATES: "OUR GOAL IS TO BREED THE MOST SUPERIOR GENETICS THERE ARE TO RELEASE BACK INTO THE WILD. IF WE, AS A HUMAN POPULATION, COULD DO A BETTER MANAGEMENT OF LIVING WITH SPECIFES IN THE WILD, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO EXIST." ACREDITED ZOOS CONSTANTLY BATTLE OUTDATED REPUTATIONS.
DAN MEATES: "WE'RE NOT HERE JUST FOR PUBLIC TO COME SEE ANIMALS. WE'RE HERE FOR CONSERVATION, RESEARCH." DAN MEATES: "FOR A SMALL ZOO, WE MAKE A BIG IMPACT." YAAD AND TUKKATA ARE BECOMING MASCOTS FOR RESPONSIBLE BREEDING, EDUCATION AND CELEBRATION. TED FOX: "THIS KNOCKS IT OUT OF EVERY PARK." ELEPHANTS HAVE A LONG LEGACY AT THE ROSAMOND GIFFORD ZOO. FOR DECADES, SIRI HAS BEEN THE FACE.
THE NEXT GENERATION IS READY FOR *THEI* TURN. IN SYRACUSE, ANDREW DONOVAN, NEWSCHANNEL.
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