The Egyptian flapshell tortoises will stay put. But the lesser flamingos have to go. The Panamanian golden frogs will keep their same address. The pachyderms, however, are being sent packing.

A budget crisis triggered by state funding cuts, miserable weather and economic doldrums has pushed the Baltimore Zoo to the brink, with officials concluding that the only way to balance the books is by eliminating jobs and programs and moving out animals.

Among them, 400 creatures of various skin, scale or wing, including Baltimore’s much-loved elephants, Dolly and Anna, will go.

In a city that prides itself on having the country’s third-oldest zoo — a facility that is internationally regarded for its species conservation programs — last week’s anguished announcement caught people off guard. Just weeks ago, the zoo opened a $7 million Arctic exhibit called Polar Bear Watch, with a tundra buggy that visitors ride for prime viewing of featured attractions Magnet and Alaska.

“That is the irony,” said Elizabeth Grieb, the zoo president. “We have funding for capital projects, but it’s restricted to new construction. We can build them, but we can’t operate them.”

Without the latest moves, the zoo risked running out of money in its $12 million budget for 2004 and closing its doors by March.

Overnight, the zoo’s travails became a rallying cry for schoolchildren and animal lovers. By Thursday, they had pledged $25,000 in support, and the phones never stopped ringing. By Friday, the amount had climbed to $35,000. Radio shows are talking up donations. Classes are organizing fund-raisers and letter campaigns.

“It is our responsibility as Baltimoreans to do what we can to keep the zoo open,” wrote a seventh-grader at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Day School, where students engaged in an extended discussion of what action they could take.

“They were very passionate about it,” teacher Leila Bowersox said. There were pointed questions about where tax dollars go. “The kids brought up how much money is spent on stadiums.”

Dolly and Anna are at the center of the attention. Both were born in Africa but have grown up here and now are in their late twenties, prime breeding age. The zoo, as part of a nationwide program for species protection and preservation, cannot let such an opportunity pass.

With cash reserves depleted and no chance of a bailout by the state or the city — which funded the zoo entirely until the mid-1980s — Grieb announced that 20 more positions were being axed and the animal collection would be winnowed by several hundred reptiles, amphibians and birds, for a savings of $1.2 million.

A budget crisis triggered by state funding cuts has pushed the Baltimore Zoo to the brink, with officials concluding that the only way to balance the books is by eliminating jobs and programs and moving out animals. Zoo visitors watch elephants Anna and Dolly. The elephants, who are of prime breeding age, will be sent elsewhere as part of the zoo's plan to save about .2 million.