Baltimore Zoo

For the diminutive Egyptian tortoise, the Reptile House at the Baltimore Zoo may now be a more congenial place than back home on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.Herders, pet traders, farmers and developers have wiped out the species in Egypt, and it is vanishing in Libya and Israel. In this decade it has become the most endangered of the world's turtles, and one of the most endangered animals of any species.But in Baltimore, the zoo crew has turned a closet full of plastic tubs and electric lights into one of the most successful nonprofit Egyptian tortoise nurseries in the world.

Travel to the steamy jungles of Africa, explore mysterious caves where bats fly, see snakes slither, cross lily pads and hanging bridges, chat with a chimp, watch polar bears swim the backstroke, conquer a 24-foot Siberian summit, and learn about vanishing bog turtles -- all in one day, and without needing a passport.Through Sept. 6, explorers of all ages can discover where the wild animals live, then meet up with domestic critters at the Children's Zoo during ZOOfari at the Baltimore Zoo.Equipped with an adventure guide that is distributed to visitors ages 2-15 to help them identify animals, explorers embark on their quest by following the colorful signs of ZOOfari's mascot, Paco the macaw.

Bunny BonanZooThe Baltimore Zoo will be hopping all weekend with its annual Bunny BonanZoo celebration. With an egg hunt, holiday games and crafts, live children's entertainment and costumed characters including Hoppy the Bunny, the event promises to be bouncing. Visitors will enjoy watching the newborn animal arrivals to the Children's Zoo Farmyard as they frolic about -- offering a true sign that spring has sprung.The Bunny Bonan Zoo takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Baltimore Zoo, Druid Hill Park.

June 30: 1999 Preservation Awards & Annual Meeting. Benefits Baltimore Heritage Inc.'s efforts to preserve the city's historic buildings. Cocktails, dinner, business meeting and awards ceremony. Masonic Temple, 225 N. Charles St. Tickets $50 members; $57 nonmembers. Call 410-625-2585.Around TownGetting a good meal isn't a problem these days for Don Shula. The former coach of the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins has a chain of steakhouses across the country, including two here in Baltimore.

New positionsHayleck, Keller take posts with Baltimore ZooThe Baltimore Zoo named Lorraine M. Hayleck controller and Andrea J. Keller public relations manager for the 123-year-old zoological facility.Hayleck, a certified public accountant, formerly was controller for Federal Filings Inc., a Dow Jones & Co. subsidiary. A graduate of the University of Maryland, she resides in Dayton, in Howard County.Keller, a Loyola College graduate, is former director of marketing for the Frederick Brewing Co. The Washington resident will coordinate external communications and assist in Web site development and strategic public relations planning for the park.

In Baltimore CityPolice identify teen who died in off-road motorbike accidentPolice identified Brandon Joshua Byrd, 17, yesterday as the youth who was killed Saturday in an off-road motorbike accident in southern Baltimore.Officer Raymond Howard of the traffic investigation section said Byrd of the 900 block of Jack St. in Brooklyn was operating his 1999 Kawasaki motorbike in the 4200 block of Thayer Court about 1: 30 p.m. when his clothing became entangled in the bike's mechanism, causing it to tip and drag him at least 80 feet.

A Glen Burnie couple's seven-month battle to regain custody of a pet monkey with a penchant for biting humans has reached the Anne Arundel County Board of Appeals, where testimony Tuesday night led to angry shouting at a witness by one of the owners.In a 2 1/2-hour hearing, the county's animal-control administrator defended the seizure of Jamie, a male Bonnett macaque, from owners Steven and Kimberly Ritterspach in April after he bit a woman on her lip at a local tavern and touched off a brawl.

LET'S TALK about the animals. About the ways of turtles, bluebirds and owls. And whether pigs have wings. (Never mind that last one; that's another Carroll story.)The tiny bog turtle has achieved legendary status in Hampstead, where presence of the threatened reptile has blocked construction of a badly needed Route 30 bypass. Some have even proposed the nondescript hardshell as the town's official symbol.The legally protected animals' presence in the planned path of the bypass is so far without solution.

They went hog wild at Zoomerang! this year. The Baltimore Zoo's annual black-tie blast had wart hogs as its theme and as its beneficiary. The money raised at the shindig goes toward construction of a new wart-hog exhibit at the zoo.The more than 2,200 two-legged guests hoofed it through part of the zoo, sampling such fare as honey-barbecued quail legs and liqueur-injected chocolate-dipped strawberries. There was also a buffet of bands for dancers to choose from, offering styles from jazz to salsa.

It is a forgotten lake at the edge of an urban wilderness.For decades, until vandalism forced Baltimore to fence off more than 100 acres of Druid Hill Park in 1970, Boat Lake was a place where lovers escaped the sweat and filth of city summers to row on a pond shaded by trees.Abandoned by humans, the 3-acre lake with its castle-like pavilion became a refuge for warblers flying south instead of workers fleeing the clock.During years of neglect, the roof of the shelter rotted. Termites devoured a pillar.

Several weeks ago, the Ravens' equipment staff received a package in the mail containing what appeared to be a tiny pair of jockstraps. What the heck, they asked, are we supposed to do with them? Eventually, someone got word to Gabrielle Dow, the team's vice president of marketing, who told the equipment staff that it wasn't a mistake. They were actually tiny diapers, and the team needed them to outfit two new ravens, not two new Ravens. Birds. Not football players. Rise and Conquer - two West African ravens - were purchased by the team recently as part of a partnership with the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, which will oversee their training and care.

Today we compare various tourist attractions in Nashville with those in Baltimore. Please. It's not even close. NASHVILLE Grand Ole Opry Over-hyped country music mecca responsible for steady rise in hearing damage throughout region. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Ho-hum repository of guitars, rhinestone outfits, cowboys boots, etc., plus usual photos of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, blah, blah, blah. Nashville Zoo Bleak 200 acres populated with freezing, desperate-looking animals.

On August 3, 2004, ALMA MAE, beloved daughter of the late William L. Costen and Beulah H. Costen; dear aunt of Audrey Costen Sanders, Diane Costen Sherlock, Joyce Walger Devon and the late Gerald William Costen; also survived by many great nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held at the Chapel of the Angels, Charlestown, on Friday at 1 P.M. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, family requests contributions to the Baltimore Zoo or The Maryland SPCA, 3300 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD 21211.

On July 31, 2004 MARION ARENA (nee Krohn); loving mother of Denise Shochet of Mc Lean, VA, Yvonne Arena and partner Tim Johnson of Baltimore, MD; dear mother-in-law of Cantor Michael Shochet; devoted sister of the late Peter Krohn; adored grandmother of Jacob and Zachary Shochet. Services at SOL LEVINSON & BROS INC., 8900 Reisterstown Rd. at Mt. Wilson Ln. on Monday, August 2 at 12 noon. Interment Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Cemetery, Berrymans Ln. Please omit flowers. Contributions in her memory should be directed to: Temple Rodef Shalom, Garden Fund, Falls Church, VA; Baltimore Zoo, Horticulture Department: Baltimore Symphony Associates or The Covenant Guild.

On July 8, 2004, TERESA J. "TERI"; beloved daughter of John and Thelma Mackey; loving companion of Gabriel Menchaca; devoted mother of Jarett Savoye; loving sister of Shirley, Linda, Susan, Nancy, Patti, Caryn and Jay; best friend of KC. Friends are invited to a Memorial Service at the Burgee-Henss-Seitz Funeral Home, 3631 Falls Road on Tuesday, July 13 at 5:30 P.M. In lieu of flowers donations to Baltimore Zoo, Druid Hill Park, 21217, ATTN: Development Office,...

Lots to watch at the Baltimore Zoo last weekend, and we're not talking about the residents there. We mean the human animals - more than 2,000 of them jampacked under tents last Friday for Zoomerang! As folks stuffed themselves with goodies at more than 50 food stations from local restaurants and caterers, there was Rubin Schechman - quite the attention-getter for the food he hasn't been eating. You may know Rubin from the wacky commercials he does as president of Bill's Carpet Fair. But, his appearance has changed quite a bit in the last year, ever since he underwent gastric bypass surgery and dropped 152 pounds.

NOW OR NEVER Lacrosse fans rejoice: LAXFEST is back, and it's happening this weekend at Rash Field. The festivities kick off tomorrow at the Inner Harbor Amphitheatre, where hundreds of sports fans will participate in a pep rally for the teams playing in this weekend's NCAA lacrosse championships at M&T Bank Stadium. The party continues Saturday and Sunday on Rash Field, where interactive games and lacrosse vendors will be stationed all day long. Admission is free. Pep rally hours are 5 p.m.-6:15 p.m. Festival hours are noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-9:30 p.m. Sunday.

On May 12, 2004, WADE LEROY CINCIBUS; beloved husband of Theresa Audrey Cincibus (nee Beddemeyer); devoted father of Joyce Lynn Heinemeyer and her husband K.P.; loving brother of Jerome Cincibus and Anton Cincibus and his wife Penny; loving uncle of Toni Marie Cincibus. Services and interment private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to Baltimore Zoo, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD 21217. Arrangements by CVACH/ROSEDALE FUNERAL HOME.

Michael Francis Groves, a well-known Maryland herpetologist and former curator of reptiles at the Baltimore Zoo, where his career spanned more than four decades, died of cancer Sunday at his Eldersburg home. He was 84. Known to generations of reptile lovers as Frank, he was born in Baltimore and raised on Covington Street in Federal Hill. He spent his boyhood in pursuit of snakes, amphibians and lizards that inhabited nearby fields and streambeds. "When he was a kid, his boyhood room was filled with snakes.

Those valentines from Anna and Dolly - the Baltimore Zoo's beloved elephants - must have done the trick, because the zoo is expected to announce today that it has met the $1 million fund-raising goal necessary to obtain a matching grant. The final tally of donations came in at $1,031,553, a zoo official said yesterday. That total includes contributions that arrived in the mail as late as Feb. 20, but were designated for the fund-raising campaign that featured valentine solicitations from the elephants for the fund-raiser with the Feb. 14 cut-off.