Zoo

Bear Necessities The American black bear lives in the forests across the United States and Mexico. Like most bears, it uses strong limbs to climb trees and a good sense of smell to find food. When food becomes scarce in the winter, black bears find a warm, safe spot under a tree or in a cave and stay inside until spring. what's for DINNER? Mainly herbivores (plant eaters), black bears eat meat when they can. do you KNOW? How many bear species are there? Answer: There are seven species, including polar bear, sloth bear and panda bear.

Needlepark, Switzerland's experiment to control AIDS, has closed down. It was from the start a strange ambition: spotlessly PTC clean Zurich handing out sterile needles to contaminated citizens. In a country whose quality-of-life index ranks highest in the world, even admitting the need for such an experiment must have been difficult.What resulted was part zoo, part freak show. Imagine taking a stroll through Baltimore's Inner Harbor. You then detour up to Federal Hill for a panoramic view of the city.

Callers outnumbered visitors yesterday at the Baltimore Zoo. It was April Fools' Day."We had over 1,300 phone calls," said zoo spokeswoman Jane C. Coyle, referring only to the April Fools' pranks.She batted off a few of her favorites: "Is G. Raff in?" "I'm returning Ellie Font's call." "Returning Al Gator's call.""One asked for Mr. Wolfman," Ms. Coyle said. "I think my favorite was Harry Wolf or Ted Bayer."The callers for the most part were the prank victims -- returning what they thought were telephone calls to them.

Workers at Baltimore's Maryland Zoo who decided to join a union only three years ago voted it out yesterday. Zoo workers decided in a 47-to-28 vote to stop being represented by the United Steelworkers of America. The vote was not the first time the union's presence at the 161-acre zoo in Druid Hill Park came under re-examination. Two years ago, workers voted to keep the union by a 51-to-33 vote. "I'm disappointed that it was voted out," said Tammy Chaney, president of the zoo's union and a zookeeper who has worked there for eight years.

The lesson is clear when a facility deemed unfit for animals is seized by the homeless as an improvement in their condition. Fortunately, this tale does not come from America, where the homeless on the streets of New York, Washington and Baltimore are familiar sights.No, it is in Milan, fashion and industry capital of Italy, that the old, central-city zoo was closed because cooping the animals in its small cages was considered inhumane. Animal rights groups protested. The zoo was condemned, its animals moved to more spacious zoos.

ANNAPOLIS -- The Baltimore Zoo is so strapped for cash that it has been forced to sell waterfowl to other zoos and can't afford to buy the rhinos, zebras and other animals that would bring alive a new $4 million African watering hole exhibit.And, while officials say they'll have to take even more drastic steps if they don't get more money, the zoo's future apparently has been thrown into jeopardy by a dispute between the governor and the mayor of Baltimore over the zoo's ownership.The flap began last month when Gov. William Donald Schaefer announced in his State of the State address that he wants the state to take over ownership of the zoo, a move designed to save the city money.

Otters love the water ... but are equally at home on land. Some species of otter, like the Sea otter, rarely come on land. Otters' long hair is water-repellent, and their long, thin bodies and webbed paws make them excellent swimmers. Since their ears and nostrils close under water, otters hunt for food using their paws and whiskers. what's for DINNER? Otters eat frogs, crayfish, crabs and fish. DO YOU KNOW How do otters talk to each other? Answer: Otters use different sounds and scents to mark their territory.