00:01Good girl.
00:03Drop the foot.
00:05Alright, foot hold.
00:07Good girl.
00:09Right, wave.
00:10Good girl.
00:21So we all know elephants are big and strong and really very smart.
00:25But did you know right here at Utah's Hogle Zoo, they're also helping to cure cancer in kids?
00:30It's true.
00:30We're going to go back and meet the keepers and the doctors working to make that happen.
00:34Hey everybody, I'm here with Eric and he's in charge of taking care of the elephants here at Utah's Hogle
00:39Zoo.
00:39Eric, thank you so much for having us.
00:41You're welcome. I'm glad to have you guys here.
00:42Now, earlier we got to see some really cool training with the elephants.
00:46Why is it not just being a keeper but also sort of a trainer so important for taking care of
00:51these animals?
00:51It's important for the elephants because they need to be both mentally and physically stimulated.
00:57And so in order to do that we have these training programs where we can actually make them work muscles
01:01so they wouldn't normally work.
01:03And then that way they get to have an exercise program just like you or I.
01:06Now I have to admit too, some of the stuff I saw them doing, it looked kind of fun but
01:11not just to watch but it looked like they were having fun too.
01:14Especially the younger ones.
01:15Yeah, I think they have fun. I mean I can't tell you for sure that they're having fun but I
01:18think they're having fun.
01:20If they didn't want to participate, they wouldn't. They would walk away.
01:23One of the things I saw during the training session too, you were able to bring one of the elephants
01:26up to the side and she voluntarily offered her ear.
01:29You were able to do a blood draw. Why is something like that important?
01:31It's important for us to be able to see on the inside of the elephant and how they look on
01:35the inside.
01:35We can't see the inside of an elephant so we're able to draw their blood and then we're able to
01:40go back and analyze that blood and make sure that they are actually healthy on the inside.
01:44And we also got to meet Dr. Shiffman today who is a pediatric oncologist and he's interested in elephant blood.
01:52What's that partnership like from your side?
01:54If an elephant can help a human, it just makes it even more rewarding for us as keepers because we
02:00want to be able to help people as much as we want to be able to help elephants.
02:03I am a pediatric oncologist and that means I take care of children with cancer.
02:08One day, several years ago, I was at a conference where we were talking about where does cancer come from.
02:14One of the speakers got up and explained to us, did you know elephants very rarely get cancer?
02:20Now this was a big surprise because remember I said that cells turn bad and turn into cancer.
02:25Well elephants have so many cells, they're so big and so giant that you would think almost every elephant should
02:31have cancer because they have so many cells running around their body.
02:35But they don't, the speaker said. They have very low number of cancer.
02:39The speaker went on to explain that that may be because some of the DNA that they have, some of
02:45the genetics of elephants may have evolved to protect them from cancer.
02:49So the speaker explained this and I went up to him afterwards and I said, well this is just fascinating.
02:55And did you know back in Utah, in my laboratory, we're trying to study why people do get cancer.
03:01And we have a test where we can measure if people are at risk for cancer.
03:06And I wonder what do you think if we could somehow get some elephant blood to study the elephant blood
03:12right next to the people blood and try to understand why don't elephants get cancer.
03:17And the speaker got very excited and he said, I think that's a great idea.
03:20And I said, I think that's a great idea.
03:22And he said, where are you going to get elephant blood?
03:24I said, I have no idea.
03:25And the first time Dr. Schiffman came up to you and asked for elephant blood, what was that like for
03:28you?
03:29He told his side of the story.
03:30He just kind of came up to me and said, hi, I'm Dr. Schiffman.
03:33How can I get some elephant blood?
03:35Now you and I were talking earlier, you've been here at the Hogel Zoo for quite a while.
03:38You've had a wonderful time working with the elephants, helping even design the exhibit.
03:41For you personally, a day with these ladies here at the elephants, what is that like for you?
03:47I like to say it's a dream come true.
03:49I mean, there's some days that are better than others and some days are just not fun at all.
03:53But for the most part, I think I'm doing something that not a lot of people could ever dream about
03:58doing.
03:59I have a little bit different about the horse.
03:59But with me, I'm going to try and think of him.
03:59I'm so sorry, but I'm really sorry.
03:59I'll find my self on the horse.
03:59I'll find my own body looks at all the stuff.
03:59And I think I was like what I'm on the horse for you.
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