this is "nightline." tonight, selfie tourism. the price of that picture with exotic wildlife, inside the year and a half long national geographic investigation. >> there was a chain around her leg that had spikes in it. >> animals chained and caged. the unseen suffering hidden in plain sight. plus. >> look out, the windmill with the left-hand side! >> rising star, zion williamson first dominated the ncaa court and now heading to the nba. our robin roberts going one on one with the next hotshot. >> lebron, shaq, zion. going by first name only, don't even need a second name.

and record race. she's more than 100 but still making making a daring dash. but first the "nightline" five.

good evening. thank you for joining us. you've probably seen them on your instagram feed. maybe you've taken one yourself.

people posing with exotic wildlife. tonight a national geographic investigation shows those pictures come with a price. here's my "nightline" co-anchor, juju chang. >> reporter: they're some of the most coveted experiences in travel. >> rightiding an elephant is bi people's bucket list, watching elephant performances. >> reporter: moments designed to soothe the soul and garner a selfie. but the treatment of some of these animals behind the scenes can be alarming, like mena, the elephant. >> there was a chain around her leg that had spikes to it. >> reporter: chained to a pole with spikes sticking into her skin. >> she also had a spike chained around her ankle since we last left her. >> reporter: natasha daly and photographer kiersten loos covered across four continents understanding how the cost of likes can come to animals.

>> what we've seen behind the scenes is to get that animal docile. >> obviously not something the general public is aware of. >> reporter: her report in the national geographic magazine exposing the hidden cost of wildlife tourism. >> the number of animal selfies has grown 300%. >> reporter: the experience for the traveler, she found is often fueled by an obsession with selfies. >> the sheer number of people now not only posting their travel experiences but consuming others' travel experiences means that these things are spread in an instant. >> reporter: tell me about the impact of the selfie. clearly the wildlife selfie is what's driving a lot of this demand. >> absolutely. so people would once learn about these experiences in guidebooks or through word of mouth. now all you have to do is open your instagram feed. by posting these experiences

online it serves as viral advertising. and because they come across as benign you may not realize through one second of scrolling that thi experience may involve this dark side. >> reporter: it's that dark side that she says she uncovered in thailand. >> what we found is that elephants, in order to give those rides they are trained from a young age, and often this training is fear based. animals will be trained with a wooden stick with a metal hook at the end called a bull hook. they're trained to be compliant, to follow the commands of this hook. >> i'm here at a camp. >> reporter: tell me about mena the elephant you encountered. >> mena is a 4 year old elephant outside of chang my thailand. her trainer had a nail he was pushing behind her ear to make her compliant and make her do the breaststrokes. after the show we walked over to where she was being kept. there was a chain around her leg

that had spikes in it. the spikes were all the way around, pressing into her skin. she was kind of hovering in the air because the foot hurts to put weight on it. i asked her trainer why she was in the spiked shackle, and he said she's naughty and this teaches her not to kick. >> reporter: the trainer said the chain only stays on for a little while before being removed. >> with permission we returned that night. i found she was still in her spiked shackle. it's getting dark and pouring rain. mena has had a spiked chain around her ankle since we last left her. this is the first time i sort of witnessed deception that can go on in this industry. >> reporter: you spoke with the owner. and what did she tell you about the condition of the elephants she keeps? >> she did say mena has behavioral problems but she noted since she had been kept on the spiked shackle her behavior had improved. so it indicated that yes, this condition is something that may

be done to correct elephants' behavior. >> reporter: in a message from the general managers online they say they are concerned about the welfare of domesticated elephants and are constantly trying to improve their environment, but wildlife tourism isn't limited to the far reaches of the world. many states have partial restrictions and four states have no restrictions at all. there are thousands of wild animals being kept in back yards, in display in makeshift zoos. it recently came to a head in florida. at dead dade city wild things people could spend $200 to swim with tigers. it prompted an investigation into animal cruelty. the owner of the facility spoke with the tampa affiliate about the allegations.

>> the reason we like to do swims for the benefit of the animal, it's hot. you want to get in the pool. we want to get in the pool. it's a great time for the tiger to have fun. >> reporter: the swimming with tigers attraction was shut down by the usda in 2017. and many of the tigers have ended up here, at the wild animal sanctuary outside denver. >> i know, you haven't eaten in years! these two tigers are part of 39 tigers we got from oklahoma where 19 of them actually started in a place in dade city, florida, where people could pay to play with tiger cubs and swim with them. >> reporter: they're no longer kept in cages. now they're able to roam free. the 10,000 acre sanctuary is home to over 500 animals that have been rescued from what they say are situations of exploitation. pat craig founded the sanctuary 39 years ago. >> every rescue we go on is

pretty iconic and amazing. every animal we see is usually pretty close to death and we have to hurry up and get them out of there and nurse them back to health. >> reporter: he tells us dade city isn't the only facility keeping big cats in the u.s. according to the wwf there are approximately 5,000 tigers held in captivity in the united states. but only roughly 300 of those tigers are in zoos. there are now more tigers in the u.s. than there are in the wild, where only 3800 roam free. >> right now in the united states, there's still well over 20,000 lions, tigers and bears outside the zoo system, still a pretty big epidemic in the united states. >> what a strange and scary story in central ohio, a big game hunt. >> reporter: in 2011 over 49 animals were killed in zanesville, ohio, lions, tigers and wolves brought down after they were released by the owner

of a priecht animvate animal re prompting lawmakers to change the law. the crackdown leaving many bears in need of rescue. >> all of these bears along with the neighboring habitats in that direction and in this direction are all bears that were rescued from the state of ohio. >> reporter: many of the bears arrived malnourished, but now they appear healthy and happy. >> they're probably some of the most enjoyable animals. once they get here in a safe situation they enjoy life. >> reporter: they say the health and well-being of the animals is their top priority. here visitors walk across an elevated bridge to prevent the animals from undue stress. and three can only be observed from a distance. it's a feature highlighted in one of daly's articles. how do to wildlife tourism right, providing tips for ethical wildlife tourism, recommendi recommending tourists do research ahead of time. look for animals that are forced

to perform. and seek for experiences that offer observation of animalst's the phrase wildlife tourism isn't necessarily a negative thing. but what you want to look at are the experiences being offered. >> reporter: at the end of the day, is the selfie worth it? >> that's what people have to decide for themselves. is getting that perfect selfie that may be a once in a lifetime experience for you worth potentially contributing to an industry where an animal is suffering for that photo. this whole industry is so driven by consumer demand. so the experiences that are on offer cater to what people will pay for. you have the power to change things. your individual decisions actually have a great deal of impact. >> our thanks to juju. , e basketball phenom ready to go pro and set the court on fire. ♪ be right back. with moderate to severe crohn's disease,

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zion he's got the name and the game to be the next nba star. tonight robin roberts with zion, reaching the promised land. >> look out! the ndll wit the left hand. >> reporter: he's 6'7", 285 pounds of jaw-dropping athleticism. >> oh, my goodness! he was three feet above the rim to hammer it home. >> reporter: the gravity-defying dunks, throwing fans into ao fa

williamson. >> reporter: you can blow out, how many people can blow out a shoe on a court? >> i'm not sure. >> reporter: at just 18 years old, zion williamson is being called the future of basketball. after an explosive freshman year at duke university he declared for the nba draft in an emotional instagram post this april. >> i hope to pursue my next dream and declare for the 2019 nba draft. >> reporter: and tomorrow he's widely expected to be the number one pick at the nba draft. >> how high can you go? >> reporter: everyone is saying with the first pick the new orleans pelicans are going to say your name. what goes through your mind when you think about that? number one pick? >> i never saw myself as even in the top three, top four pick, and for people to think i can go one, it means a lot to me, i just want to get drafted period.

>> reporter: number one picks, lebron, shaq, zion. going by first name only. don't even need a second name. i mean, those are some big shoes to fill. are you ready? >> those are big shoes to fill. i'm not lookin' to fill those. i'm just looking to be the best zion i can be. >> reporter: what do you think is your greatest asset on the court? >> i think my will to win. if the game's on the line or if there's a play that needs to be made i feel like i'm going to do whatever i can to make that play. >> reporter: steph curry said something really accurate about you. yes, you're abundantly talented, but he said you can't teach his passion. his passion. where does that come from? >> that's just my love for the game. i don't play basketball for the money. it was the last thing i thought about when i was a little kid. when i was a little kid i looked at my mom and step dad and said i want to be a nba player, just because i love to play the game of basketball, like 24/7. >> jimmy: when was the fir

. >> reporter: when was the first time hundred a basketball in your hands? >> probably with my mother. don't let that mom word fool you. we'd be in the car riding back home after my middle school games, that was a great game. my mom's like, what? good game? you missed a pass there, you didn't shoot it there. her being my biggest critic was the best thing for me, actually. >> reporter: and it paid off. by the time he was in high school. he was already garnering legions of fans. even drake posting a picture sporting a then-16-year-old zion's jersey. >> reporter: how do you stay grounded with everything that's coming your way? >> there were times when this wasn't here. there were no interviews, no fans. the gym was empty. actually, it wasn't a gym. it was an outdoor court with me and my step dad. i think back to those times when it was just me, my step dad.

>> reporter: but then you walk in the door here. i didn't even have to know that you were here. i could hear that you were here. by the reaction from those young kids. and i know that you spend time with kids. why is that so important to you to do that? >> because i was a little kid once, and, you know, having the chance to meet a nba player or even a college player when i'm 5 or 6, i mean i know it would mean a lot. just talkin' with those little kids or sign something, i try to do as much as possible. >> i thought you might have said check ball. don't make me embarrassed. >> reporter: he's going to go far in the nba. you're not going to play nice. don't buy that smile. he's got that killer instinct. who are you most excited to get on the court and compete against in the nba? >> everybody. i'm a competitor. and i feel like if you can get the best of everybody then everybody will have respect for you. >> reporter: i know that you're aware that the new orleans

pelicans, that they traded anthony davis. so if indeed you are the number one pick you will be the face of that franchise. are you ready to take on at your age, a role like that? if it should happen? >> gosh, who said that? i'd be the face. i think i'd be ready. because i just love this game, and i'm a competitor. whatever i'm doing, i want to win. >> reporter: who are some players in the nba right now that you look to as a role model to help you at this next level? >> i mean, gosh. i'm not going to view them as a role model when i get there, but. >> reporter: oh, a competitor, right. >> people have respect for lebron. since day one, he had the highest expectations and he's exceeded all of them on and off the court, russell westbrook, i love the tenacity. kawhi leonard. he doesn't say much.

he just handles his business and goes on about his day. i respect that so much. >> reporter: just hours away from now your life is going to change. >> i don't see it so much as my life changing. i'm still going to be playing the game i love. i feel like with the circle i have around my, it will keep my life the same as it's always been. just probably more people calling my name. >> reporter: you've worked hard. i mean, you're enormously talented, don't get me wrong. but you've worked. you've got up early, put in those shots, put in the effort to know that that work is going to be realized has to be a gratifying feeling. >> it probably will be a dpratfying feeling. like i said, i'm not sure how i'm going to feel thursday if my name gets called. i just know that the emotion i am sure of is that i will be able to say i'm a nba player. >> gifted and he's a good kid. our thanks to robin. next, she's in her second

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and finally tonight, the record-breaking hurricane blowing right past the competition. >> hurricane is in the house. >> reporter: julia hawkins is to quick they call her hurricane hawkins. setting the track on fire by being the oldest woman to compete in the championships when she was 102. now hawkins is breaking another record at the national senior games this week at 103, running the 50-meter in just 21.05 seconds. >> they realize you can still be doing it at this kind of an age if you keep yourself busy and active most of your life. >> what a champ. it was the great basketball hall-of-famer satchel page who said age is a question of mind over matter. if you don't mind, it don't matter.

that's "nightline." you may not be able to catch julia, but you can catch full episodes of "nightline" on hulu. thanks for the company america, goodnight. ♪ ♪ this is how driving should feel. the tech-advanced nissan leaf. the best selling electric vehicle of all time.

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