Good morning. Im jane pauley and this is sunday morning. To begin, a question. How did the Mountain Lion get to the other side of the road . Increasingly, the answer to that question and a plus for all kinds of animals is there is a bridge or tunnel for them to cross safely and uneventfully. This morning well tell you about a nationwide effort to build critter crossings. But we have more serious fair to share as well. The internet has forever changed the way we look for love. Still, Online Dating doesnt always lead to happily ever after. Along with the dreamers who do anything for love, there are scammers willing to steal their money or do far worse. Cbs news has been investigating this online treachery for months, and this morning from jim axlerod the first in a weeklong series of reports. Reporter she was looking for love online, but instead found danger lurking. I never thought that it could happen to my mom, but it can happen to anybody. Reporter how hard was it for you to set up a fake profile . Its easy. Reporter ahead on sunday morning. Are you doing enough to protect your customers from online romance scammers . Our alarming investigation into online romance scams. Some 30 years ago, an operation gone wrong robbed the legendary Julie Andrews of her ability to sing. Thankfully, it did nothing to her ability to tell a story. Reporter Julie Andrews and daughter emma share a special bond. People often ask, you know, if you could describe your mom in one word, what would it be . I say resilient. My mom said it to me once. You have to go on moaning and groaning, be grateful for what you have. And my god, i am. Reporter later on sunday morning. Julie andrews and emma walter hamilton. Cabaret has returned to broadway yet again. This time with an oscarwinner leading the cast. Mo rocca has a front row seat. Reporter when Eddie Redmaynes emcee welcomes patrons to his berlin nightclub, its an invitation laced with menace. He is the danger we should be on the lookout for . He is those people we meet in life that are funny buffoonlike characters and you suddenly realize you have been stabbed by them. Reporter come back to the cabaret, old chums, coming up on sunday morning. On this weekend before earth day, ben tracy takes a look through the lens of environmental photographer james balog. Tracy smith will give us a read on a much talked about novel from doctor and author abraham verghese. Plus, passover thoughts from humorist alex edelman. A story from steve hartman, and more. Its a sunday morning for the 21st of april, 2024. And well be back in a moment. Its your time to cache in. At northern californias premier casino resort. Book your getaway now. At cachecreek. Com. All across america, critters are crossing the road, and more and more of them, Conor Knighton tells us, are doing it in style. Reporter interstate 90 is the longest interstate highway in the united states, spanning more than 3,000 miles, it connects seattle in the west to boston in the east. But it also serves as a Massive Concrete divide. For the animals who live to the north and south of the interstate, this road has absolutely wrecked their commute. Is there a rush hour for the animals . Yes. They tend to be nocturnal, or crepuscular, sort of at dawn or dusk. Reporter pat garveydarda is a wildlife biologist with the u. S. Forest service. Brian white works for the Washington State department of transportation. Together their two organizations teamed up to develop a network of critter crossings in washington. Overpasses and underpasses designed to provide safe passage for wildlife. The fact that you have one here and one here, is that because you identified both of those areas as areas that animals are likely to cross . Yes. Reporter the crossing project spans 15 miles of i90 near the Snoqualmie Pass in washington. Flanked by chunks of whats primarily National Forest land. Habitat for all sorts much creatures great and small. If they are protected on both sides, why does it matter if they are connected . Because you lose genetic variability and gradually you start getting localized extinction and populations get further and further apart and smaller. Reporter around the country, most animals see a busy highway and turn around. Few may try to cross, but they are at risk of getting run over. A wildlife crossing is supposed to make that process far less treacherous. But there is no guarantee if you build it, they will come. There is a wildlife sign back there. Is that helping . The animals look at that and they are like, okay, this is the way to go . Miles of fencing funnel animals to crossing points. High concrete walls block headlights and dull traffic noise. We want to mimic the habitat on either side, native plants and everything, so that animals sort of dont even see the transition. Reporter it worked. In 2023, cameras captured animals using the crossings more than 5,000 times. Including mule deer, elk, and coyotes. When this project started, was there some other example that you were looking at as a Success Story to model this after . Well, banff, canada, comes to the top of the list. Reporter the section the transcanada highway that cuts through Banff National park used as a model for crossings worldwide. Banffs 38 undercrossings and six overcrossings reduced wildlife collisions by 80 . Back in the u. S. , there are now around 1,500 wildlife crossing structures in 43 states. And wyoming, pronghorn run across highway 191. In florida, panthers and alligators creep under i75. They can be subtle. Motorists may have no idea they are driver over moose in montana or tunnels full of tortoises in utah. But it will be hard to miss this crossing. Not far from los angeles, they are building the largest Wildlife Corridor in the country. I really wish it had been the smallest. I could have gotten years of my life back, trying to help raise the money and the public support. Reporter beth pratt serves adds regional executive director for the National ChristmasTree Lighting in california. Once completed in 2025, the wall crossing will stretch for more than 200 feet across ten lanes of the 101 freeway, which can see up to 400,000 vehicles a day. I think thats a real miracle that over one of the busiest freeways in the world you are going to be driving under it, a Mountain Lion, fox might be walking over, or a fence lizard or a ground squirrel may have a family on top. Thats a hopeful project. And we owe it to p22. Reporter this p22. The celebrated Mountain Lion who roamed around l. A. s griffith park. When he was younger he made it across two freeways only to end up a lonely hollywood bachelor until his death in 2022. Reporter but even for the Mountain Lions who can find mates, the dates are a little too close to home. Biologists worry the small population here could soon go extinct. Its almost certain that the cats over here that are breeding are related to each other in some way. Reporter and somewhere over there . Yeah. If you were on tinder and the matches you are getting are family members, icky, yeah. Reporter the crossing which is estimated to cost 90 million will expand the dating pool. Thats important for all sorts of critters, even ones who arent as obviously charismatic. Back underneath i90, professor jason irwin and his team of Central WashingtonUniversity Students are focused on everything from toads to salamanders. Its fantastic. Its really been fantastic to work on a project where they appreciate the little guy. Reporter there are also human lives at stake. There are parts of the country where Traffic Safety means installing a new crosswalk at a busy intersection. There are other parts of the country where Traffic Safety means things like wildlife crossings. Reporter last year, transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a federal Grant Program awarding a total of 350 million to states looking to build crossings and improve safety. There are approximately 1 million collisions involving large wildlife on americas roads each year resulting in some 200 human deaths. If you think about it that way and you think about how many accidents didnt happen, these crossing structures pay for themselves pretty fast. Reporter brian white has already seen a reduction in collisions where the crossings have been built. Fewer road closures means faster commutes for everyone. This is showing the wildlife collisions incidents that we had along the corridor. This is before we started work, before we had the fence up. This is what it looks like now. Reporter even though the crossing construction in los angeles hasmento occasional slowdowns and lane closures, pratt says the public has been able to stay focused on the benefits down the road. Wildlife crossings are something, it doesnt matter if youre a republican or a democrat or what political affiliation, people really support them. I think there is very few people who dont get upset when they see a dead animal on the side of the road. So i think that this is something that in a time where we agree on very little, we pretty much agree on wildlife crossings. What if there was a cruise that felt like no other . A cruise created by foodies for foodies. One chef for every 10 guests, every meal prepared to order, and every plate a personal discovery. Welcome to the world of oceania cruises, the worlds greatest cities and off the beaten path secrets. One memorable bite and toast at a time. Its more than a feeling. Its more than a cruise its oceania cruises. Crunchy. 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He is actually an expert in bedside manner, teaching medical students about the importance of the human touch. Dr. Verghese is all about the power of connection here and in his other calling. The got story goes beyond what a forgiving god cares to do. It reconciles families and unburdens them of secrets whose bond is stronger than blood. But in their revealing, as in their keeping, secrets can tear a family apart. Reporter these words are from the bestselling book the covenant of water, and they are as lush and vibrant as the world they describe. The book is set between 1900 and 1970 in kerala, a coastal territory in india full of lakes, waterways, lagoons, back waters, and in every generation in this particular family i focus on, one or more members drowns. Reporter the drownings are just one of the mysteries in this familys story of a beloved mate rack, decades of enduring love and tragic deaths sometimes excruciating for him to write about. Did it have you in tears . I cried reading it. Did you cry writing it . No matter how many times, it was tough. It was new. Losing somebody. Reporter the covenant of water is a difficult book to describe in a few words. Its even tougher to sum up the life of the author. Abraham verghese was born in ethiopia to indian parents. His mother was a teacher who caught taught her boys early on the value of education. Brother george on the right is now a professor at m. I. T. After medical school, dr. Verghese took a residency in in johnson city, tennessee, in the 80s, where he found a growing number of people with hiv, which at that point in time was fatal. The experience made him want to tell the world about what he saw and the people he met. A lot of their messages were, you know, dont postpone your dreams. Lifes too short to postpone the things you want to do. One day, this might transpire. And so all of those things kind of came together at that moment, and i was going to write this book. Reporter you had to write the book . I had to write the book. Reporter in the winter of 1990, he put his medical practice on hold, cashed in his retirement and moved his young family to the university of iowa and their acclaimed writing program. I tell you, if you do that, it makes you take yourself seriously as a writer. I could no longer say i am dabbling in this stuff. I was all in. Reporter yeah, you committed. I was. Reporter the resulting book, my own country, was a sensation. A subsequent novel, 2009s cutting for stone spent two years and the bestseller list. His second novel, the covenant of water, was closest to his heart. Inspired by and dedicated to his mother, who died in 2016. Yeah, the inspiration was very much my mom and the strong women around my mother, such as her motherinlaw and her mother. You know, these were sort of heroic women who lived quiet lives. The world would never know about their heroism, never know how much tragedy they went through tha. Reporter their story spans three generations. He used these whiteboards to keep it all straight. How does this help you form the story . You know, i think it was really not helpful in the way people imagine where it was like an architectural plan. I think this was me sort of beginning to see the characters, to visualize them for myself. Reporter after ten years, he finally got the covenant of water published and then a form of literary lightning struck. Welcome to all the Book Club Members who are watching us on oprah daily. Im thrilled for this conversation. Reporter oprah called you to give you a heads up that she was choosing your book . I hear this beautiful resonate voice, melodious wife saying, hi, this is oprah. I stood up. I have tremendous respect for her. Reporter you stood up . I stood up. I dont know of anybody else in our culture that has brought more readers to books. The covenant of water on her list. I made it easier for her and gave her a copy. Reporter not only did she choose his book, is she physically handed out copies of it and she plans to make it into a movie. Oprah is not the only big fan. It was on former president obamas list of favorite books from 2023. I mean, i am incredibly lucky. I dont know that i can point to it being all my skills. Certainly not. You need a lot of luck when you produce a book. Reporter what do you think your mother would make of all of this . I think my mother would be delighted. Our parents are not particularly demon demonstrative in terms of the things they say, but i think she would have been very pleased. Reporter if this is his opening his heart to the world, the world has answered in kind. Lovely to meet you. Reporter the book stayed on the New York Times bestsellers list for 37 weeks. The story inspired by his mother has taken on a life of its own. Something even the esteemed doctor finds hard to explain. Its amazing. Its a bestseller in italy, south africa, you know, when i hear these things, i dont know what to say. I get these pieces of good news coming to me. For example, cbs sunday morning is something to be talking to you. It feels beyond me. Reporter what do you mean . Well, just i, you know, i did something, but i didnt do the whole thing. Reporter its bigger than you . Its bigger than me, yeah. With moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, my skin was no longer mine. My active Psoriatic Arthritis joint symptoms held me back. Dont let symptoms define you. Emerge as you. With tremfya®, most people saw 90 clearer skin at 4 months and the majority stayed clearer, at 5 years. Tremfya® is proven to significantly reduce joint pain, stiffness and swelling. Its just 6 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. Serious allergic reactions may occur. Tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. Emerge as you. Emerge tremfyant®. Ask you doctor about tremfya®. ego, the number one rated brand in cordless Outdoor Power brings you the select cut mower. Customize the cut with three interchangeable blades. It cuts for over an hour on a single charge. Ego exclusively at lowes, ace and ego authorized dealers. W figured this is the perfect time for ben tracys closeup of james balog. One of the preeminent environmental photographers of our time. Thats it. You got it. Reporter if you ever decide to try your hand at climbig a 70foottall wall of ice, its helpful to have a guide who knows quite a bit about frozen water. Thanks for taking me ice climbing. You are welcome. Thats harder than it looks. No joke, right . Reporter what fascinates you about ice . Its so weird looking. Compared to every other material, you see on the surface of the earth, i feel like i am entering this other realm, other kingdom. Reporter we met up with james balog at the ouray ice par