Maryland Zoo

The African exhibit at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore gives visitors a chance to glance at animals they wouldn't see in their backyard - giraffes are rarely seen traipsing down North Avenue - but also offers an opportunity to get to know them. The Maryland Zoo has the largest colony of black-footed penguins in the North America. Daisy Mae, one of the zoo's two southern white rhinos, is about 40 years old. And Felix, an African elephant, is expecting a bundle of joy any day now. According to a spokeswoman at the zoo, visitors will soon get a chance to interact with the animals, too. A feeding station for the reticulated giraffes is scheduled to open in late spring.

Two young okapi, an African forest mammal that looks like a cross between a giraffe and a zebra, have taken up residence in the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore 's giraffe house. The two okapi are half-brothers, on loan from the Dallas Zoo. Askari (ahz-kar-ee) is almost two years old, while Magani (mah-gah-nee) is one. They arrived at the zoo on Oct. 18. "The two arrived in fine shape after their 16-hour ride from Dallas to Baltimore," Mike McClure, the zoo's general curator, said in a press release.

Samson, the young male elephant who was diagnosed with a deadly virus at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore late last month, has continued to recover in recent days and has "turned a very positive corner" in his treatment, according to zoo officials. "His energy levels are very close to normal again, he's much brighter and a lot of his symptoms have either gone away or are nearly gone," Michael McClure, general curator for the zoo's animal department, said Thursday. McClure said he and his staff have been nursing Samson back to health around the clock for nearly four weeks and are encouraged by his recovery from the virus, known as elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus.

Cue the oohs and ahhs. Otto is ready for his debut. The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore unveiled its newest addition — a male Coquerel's sifaka — to the public Wednesday. "People should be very proud to come to their zoo and see these," said Meredith Wagoner, the zoo's mammal collection and conservation manager. "It is very rare that they will be able to … see these. " The addition of Otto is a "highly significant birth for the sifaka population in North America," according to Mike McClure, general curator for the zoo. Coquerel's sifaka are lemurs and native to Madagascar, an island off the eastern coast of Africa.

Financial problems confronting the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore are continuing to grow, the zoo's top official told the Board of Public Works yesterday. The zoo, which is subsidized by the state, lost $3 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30, said Billie Grieb, the Zoo's president and chief executive. She said she expects losses to top that this year because the zoo's funding hasn't changed even though expenses have increased. Grieb and officials from the Sports Legends at Camden Yards museum and Geppi's Entertainment Museum - both at Camden Station near Oriole Park - talked at the meeting about different ideas for marketing their attractions to draw more tourists.

For the cash-strapped Maryland Zoo, finding money to repair decrepit buildings and an outdated water system and to pay for other overdue maintenance projects is an understandable struggle. What homeowner hasn't let a few repairs slide? But the "to do" list has to get done now - the zoo's national accreditation depends on it. Improvements at the Druid Hill campus also are critical to its viability and support from loyal patrons. The Maryland Zoo has until September to show significant progress on correcting deficiencies cited last fall by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Daniel Martin Pearce, a retired structural engineer, died of heart failure Saturday at Oak Crest Village in Parkville. The former Towson resident was 84. Mr. Pearce was born in Baltimore and raised in Sparks. He was a 1939 graduate of the old Sparks High School and earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Swarthmore College in 1943. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and was trained as a B-29 gunner. He attained the rank of lieutenant. After the war, he worked as a mechanical engineer at the old Glenn L. Martin Co. plant in Middle River.

Visitors to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore have often had to search a towering white oak to spot the zoo's two prized African leopards, Amari and Hobbes, which frequently scaled the trunk and took to the branches. The cats would each perch on a sturdy limb that gave the best view of a boardwalk filled with people and the neighboring enclosure co-habited by zebras, ostriches and two white rhinos. It was as close to living in the wild as two cats could get. But by the end of Saturday, only a stump will remain of their favorite spot.

Wedding day: Oct. 14, 2012 Her story: Lauren Webb, 26, grew up in Glen Burnie. She is the grants manager for Young Audiences Arts for Learning Maryland. Her father, Gary Webb, works for Verizon, and her mother, Renee Webb, is a neonatal nurse at the University of Maryland Medical Center. His story: Brennan Tolstoi, 29, grew up in Gaithersburg. He is an assistant branch manager for M&T Bank. His father, Joel Tolstoi, owns Oval Office Supply, and his mother, Deborah Tolstoi, works for the family company as a bookkeeper/office manager.

More than 100 gradeschoolers, 70 volunteers and a Baltimore Raven or two are scheduled to descend on the Maryland Zoo today in a localized, kids' version of the acclaimed reality TV show "The Amazing Race" — part of a nationwide campaign to stamp out childhood obesity. The event, part of the National Football League's "Play 60" campaign, is aimed at getting American children to be more physically active. Fourth and fifth-graders from Baltimore's City Springs Elementary School will compete in teams of four through challenges on the zoo's grounds.