Where I Stand—Brian Greenspun: Charity amid magic

Tuesday, June 12, 2001 | 9:31 a.m.

MOVE OVER Siegfried and Roy, there are new stars in town.

As a young man just breaking into the newspaper business, I learned some very valuable lessons, complete with rules. One of the most important rules was never take a picture with a beautiful woman or an animal. I have tried, without much success, to heed those wise words, which has resulted in people remembering everything about the picture except for the fact that I was in it!

There are two residents of Las Vegas who have made a habit of taking pictures with some of the most fearsome, yet intriguing and adorable animals on Earth. For over 30 years, Siegfried and Roy have made a living playing their incredible animals front and center, yet for some reason this dynamic duo has managed to maintain center stage throughout. It has been a blatant violation of the rule and one only those two magical superstars could have pulled off.

Until now.

The front page of the June 1 Cincinnati Enquirer played the picture in full color of three of the most cuddly looking white lions as a lead-in to the Cincinnati Zoo's 15th annual showcase of newborns. The festival is among the most popular events in that part of the world and no wonder, look at the stars. They are all babies. And who doesn't like babies, whatever the species!

The reason I am needling Las Vegas' most enduring illusionists is because the zoo's success is in large part because of the birth of the white lions on April 1. Not that the two men are really in any danger of being upstaged by the cute and cuddly members of their cast and extended family, but there will come a time when the rule will apply. Fortunately for Las Vegas and the hundreds of thousands of tourists who see their show each year, that won't happen anytime soon.

But, beyond the pictures that would make even the most hardhearted among us sigh; beyond the stories of magical derring-do that capture imaginations around the world; and beyond the news accounts of Las Vegas' most well-known entertainers that sing their praises and bring recognition to the Las Vegas brand; beyond all that there is a story that should be told as often as necessary for the lesson to be learned.

It is not necessarily Siegfried and Roy's story -- although they clearly are the stars in this one -- but, rather, a story that must be spread to encourage hundreds and thousands of people around the globe to emulate what our two heroes have done. For it may be the only way new generations of children will ever know the pleasures of watching baby white lions or Harris hawks, two crowned lemurs, ocelots, okapi and a host of other animals that could become endangered this year. And who knows the animals that may make that tragic list in years to come.

The saga did not start with these white lions. More than 20 years ago, Siegfried and Roy were approached by the director of the Cincinnati Zoo with a plea to become involved with a conservation program to propagate the white tigers species, which had already become extinct in the wild and was a leading contender on the endangered species list. They have funded the conservation program since that time, making sure all expenses are covered through their efforts. The results have been amazing. From a nearly extinct species in 1980, the white tigers now number more than 250 in 40 countries around the world.

Success, of course, breeds more success. At least, that's the way it has worked for Siegfried and Roy. In 1993 the director of the Johannesburg Zoological Park and Botanical Gardens asked the two men to do it again. This time it was an even tougher assignment. Seven years ago there were only three white lions left on the planet!

Naturally, they said yes and now there are 19 of those rare and magnificent creatures alive and growing. The first white lioness in the Western Hemisphere was born in Las Vegas on Christmas Day, 1998. A year later, Prosperity was sent to the Cincinnati Zoo to join two white lion males from the European conservation program. Tigers are not that different from the rest of the animal world, so on April 1 the picture that went 'round the world was of four white lion cubs, dubbed the Pride of the Millennium. It was one of those pictures that so many more than just a mother could love. In fact, everybody loved it.

What people loved, of course, was what I was warned about so many years ago. Animals, especially the baby variety, reach right into the hearts of human beings. Endangered ones reach even further. That's the way it should be.

What Siegfried and Roy have done in conjunction with the zoos and their conservation programs is nothing short of miraculous. But, for all their work the reality is that these magnificent animals, used to living in the wilds that are disappearing at alarming rates, still are in great danger. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service chose Las Vegas' highest-rated illusionists to be spokesmen for the Save the Tiger Fund, a national campaign to raise awareness of the importance of conservation. Tigers, like many wild animals, were plentiful at one time.

In 1900 there were approximately 100,000 of these majestic beauties roaming the globe. One century later there are less than 3,500. That story can be repeated for hundreds of species in hundreds of places. There is a real danger that animals such as the white tigers and white lions may one day soon be reduced to adorable pictures like the one on the front page of the Enquirer this month. Unfortunately, they will be taken from archives because the real animals will no longer be.

We live in a time when words like conservation, for some reason, have a negative connotation with those in trusted positions of leadership. To change that, we have to follow the lead of people like Siegfried and Roy, two men who make animals disappear nightly on the Las Vegas stage.

And, just like them, we have to make those animals reappear. Maybe not as fast and without the fanfare, but in a steady, thoughtful way that will ensure that our children and theirs will know the pleasures our generation has received, not only from front-page pictures but also from the up-close-and-personal visits that our zoos, animal parks and trips to the wild have afforded us.

It is called conservation and we all have a part to play in that effort.