anyway, john calvelli, with the wildlife conservation society, thanks a lot. >> thanks. good seeing you. >> good luck. and that will do it for this edition of "upclose." next. if you happened to miss any of today's programs, no worries. thank you all for watching. i'm bill ritter. and for all of us here at channel 7, enjoy the rest of your day. >> buenos d^as y bienvenidos. good morning. welcome once again to "tiempo." i'm joe torres. the community schools model has

wildlife conservation works in 60 places. when you are coming to the bronx zoo and helping the wildlife conservation society, you are helping to save the planet. today is a special day because you can come in and enjoy the park. the work is you'res. we have a rock climbing wall. for the adults, we have a beer carbs back up and do the next run. it is an incredible time to be out, enjoy family and friends, get exercise and help save the planet. >> reporter: congratulations on a wonderful event. it's the first day of the monorail, too which takes you into the asian part of the bronx zoo with all of the amazing animals from that part of the world. so lots to see and do out here. we'll be mingling with some of the runners across the finish line and enjoy the bronx zoo. for now, though, live right here at the finish line, back inside to you guys, michelle and rob. what a great race. so many people out here happen yip to do their part for the animals. >> great. it's really cool. >> you seem very happeny. are you happy to be away from us? >> i'm very upset. [ laughter ] >> have fun. >>> jersey city has something to celebrate. pacific

the wildlife conservation society blames illegal hunting, mining, loss of habitat and civil unrest. >> a little girl is very special and has what many would consider the moment of a lifetime. she had a personal moment with the pope. >> it happened yesterday and was part of what her family is calling a visual are bucket list. as abc's elizabeth hur reports, it's something of a race against time. >> reporter: lizzie u myers waves and smiles hoping to catch the pope's attention as he drives by. at first, like so many others, the little one is just glad to have caught a glimpse of the holy father. then this. >> we're au struck. i mean, not just -- >> he blessed her eyes. he asked that we pray for him and he said he will be praying for us. >> it's a meeting they will treasure more than ever perhaps when he understands the gravity of have to tell her. i dread that day but right now, we just don't feel that it's necessary for her to know. i think it will hold her back. >> lizzie doesn't know it yet but she's slowly going blind because of a rare genetic place. >> because we're catholic and al

when the folks at the wildlife conservation society's bronx zoo asked if i wanted to meet a pair of tiny. at first, the 12 week old tigers seem to have their doubts about the stranger in their play room. nada and ozul keep their distance. ow! but soon they got used to us. catherine works with the cubs every day. and when she let me hold the bottle -- oh, my gosh -- their concerns seemed to slip away. how are they doing? >> wonderful. they're doing just great. they're gaining, eating well as you can see. >> reporter: they're so gorgeous. the cubs are malayen tigers, a slightly smaller version of what we recognize as bengal tigers. pat thomas is the general curator and associate director of the zoo. that noise what is that? >> that's their greeting call, it is called a chuffle. from an early age, they will normally be calling to their mother or their siblings, but that's a very comforting call. you should be honored they're calling to you. >> reporter: i am. >> there you go. >> reporter: we're communicating. feels pretty good. how big will these guys get? >> anywhere from 225 to maybe 250

. >> reporter: along with the bronx zoo and other facilities, the wildlife conservation society runs hundreds of programs all over the world, teaming with local groups to rea ore bit, stop poaching, and create safe spaces so cats like this can live free. i'm guessing i'm pasthe smell test. you want t o come home with me? >> you may think you want a tiger. you probably really don't. >> reporter: probably. oh, my gosh. i'm sorry, they are wild any more charming. >> bl at this age. >> reporter: just another day at the office. >> right? >> what is tha little noise? >> one more time. one more time. >> you're supposed to do it back. >> there we go. okay. >> 2 million people go to the bronx zoo every year, nobody gets to do what i got to do. and i feel so lucky and thanks to those folks. >> going to go back and visit your friends there? >> harry smith, thank you. >> you bet. >>> we're back hfer these messages. fortifying the gravity-de ying. adventure-collecting... friend-connector... fortifying the going-places... off-to-the-races... day-seizing. you. you're strong. and we're here to help

it's all part of earth month because the bronx zoo is part of the wildlife conservation society. we work in 60 countries around the world. what we're trying to do is help save wildlife and our planet. >> reporter: there was exciting information that came down about the bison, the buffalo. tell people with that news, what does it mean? take us back to when the buffalo roamed, then they didn't, and how they've come back. >> as a new yorker, the first thing you should take away is new york city and the bronx saved the buffalo. there were 30 million buffalo or bison. there were 21 left in the wild and about a thousand animals left. what ended up happening is we here at the bronx zoo bred them and shipped them off. so the congress literally bison our national symbol and national mammal. so it's really exciting because finally the bison's getting its due. >> reporter: i know it will be a busy morning for earth day. we've got tons of festivities from the rock-climbing wall to the silent disco. it will be fun, right? >> nd adon't forget the beer garden for the -- and don't forget the beer