Readers comment on today's column and offer more suggestions for raising funds for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

"My suggestion is to designate a percentage of the take from the state lotteries - the scratch-offs, Pick 3 (day/evening) Pick 4 (day/evening) the mega, etc. This will mean that some $'s would not be going to the BALTIMORE STADIUMS! But i think a zoo is more beneficial to ALL of Maryland."
                                                                                                           -- Jim Hahn

I think the whole community, particularly legislators and other civic leaders, corporations and all people who love the zoo and “Metro Baltimore” life should pull together to make major changes at the zoo including the amounts of public funding. One easy way for many to help would be to spend some hours volunteering at the zoo. Labor is scarce there and there are NO funds available to increase paid staff. I already volunteer there, and I plan to increase my donated hours.
Perhaps they should name the baby elephant O’Malley. Then the governor might want to push for more state funding for the zoo. Since I can’t write a column to express my views stated above, I hope you will help me get this message to the public so it may persuade others to join me at the zoo in the volunteer program.
                                                                           -- Kurt Wenzing

1.   Find an 'artist' who can construct a gold fence around the Zoo
to keep all people out. This would inspire people to flock to the Zoo
to find out what they are being prevented form seeing. The out cry of
injustice would resonate throughout Baltimore and the surrounding
area. The crowd could rip down the fence and flow into the Zoo to
determine what they are missing. (This is, of course, after they pay
their entrance fee and sign a pledge to become patrons of the Zoo.)

2. Gather a group of minstrels and jesters and songsters and what not
to parade through the Zoo gathering trash and manure and what not to
be placed in a great urn in the middle of the Zoo. When the weather
reaches the proper conditions, poppy seeds and marihuana plants could
be placed in the urn to grow. When the plants have reached their
proper maturation, the Zoo could sponsor a weekly 'happy hour'. Every
time an adult pays the entrance fee their name is placed in a
container. A weekly drawing of 20 names provides the participants for
happy hour around the urn. This marvelous tradition could continue
until the first frost or until the Zoo is raided by the narcotics
squad, which ever comes first.                         -- Paul Ciesla

I really enjoyed your column today about naming the baby elephant.
This inspired two other ideas for raising fund for the Zoo. Both of
these thoughts are in connection with artful inspiration garnered
from articles of substance found in this newspaper in the past week.
I was quite distressed to hear such discouraging news about the Maryland Zoo In Baltimore (formerly the Baltimore Zoo - the name change didn't help?). Over and over, we hear the same dragging, clawing their way(?), and digging out of etc. - melodramatic story about the suffering of this once great institution. How can this go on for much longer without further reformation?
Although I don't confess to knowing much about anything, one idea runs across my mind each time I've heard the same sad-song and dance - called Zoo-BLUES - over the past few years. "How hard could it actually be to attract children to the most exciting and shriek-inducing experience, besides going to Six Flags or Disney Land?"
Children naturally LOVE going to the zoo!. Parents naturally love ANYTHING that their kids love! 
I can recall my childhood, smelling the melted rubber asphalt and elephant surprise strewn upon the wet hay; tasting my melting vanilla cone and breeze of hippopotamus' moist habitat. There is so much yet to be shown! - it takes work to market and wrap the community up in the vision of what you guys see.  
Exotic names in the Marketing/PR Department haven't equated to unique results - actually they have amounted to sheer DISASTER. All the yuppie-delight snobbery of the Zoomerangish fundraising calendar probably pays for the grass to get cut. Numbers drive everything under the sun, not posturing. Yuppies don't have kids!  
Zero passion for the 'work' of forging new vision is what appears to be at the base of this farce. There seems to be an "idea" (?) office full of people who love to push papers around all day, but don't want to push the product (or are they prevented?) in new directions to greet a new world of 'little consumers' (and their parents). 
Judging by previous coverage (Sun and otherwise), there were also touches of elusion to a beaurocratic administration problem, deadlocking Marketing's radical flourishes which may have been its very saving grace. Thank you lucky stars for carving the previous leadership OUT of Druid Hill's mountainside with a golden machete.
Ultimately the ANIMALS are the ones who are suffering and STARVING. Has the lion no pride?. Has the mighty spider monkey no self-worth?. The animals are crying out! PLEASE MZIB - don't send any more "pity" stories for media coverage to garner hand-out visits from people who love wildlife. Present our gifts in their glory - not under a "going out of business" sign - have some pride!. God blessed us with the animals - let them smile in happiness, don't put the animals on shabby welfare-like display due to managerial incompetence!
                                                                         -- Very Distressed and Very Concerned