FAIR WRAPS UP TODAY: WILDLIFE EXHIBIT FEATURES COYOTE

He's heard it a thousand times at this week's SEMO District Fair, and chances are he will hear it again and again."Beep, Beep!"A small group of youngsters gave their imitations of the famous cartoon character "Roadrunner" when they saw the coyote on display at the Missouri Department of Conservation pavilion.The young coyote paced his cage.It looked and acted like a young pup, not quite knowing what to do about the crowd of people staring in at him.The coyote, which is on exhibit at the fair in Arena Park, isn't the veteran "Wily Coyote" of "Roadrunner" fame."He's a young pup," said Jeff L. Scott, a Bollinger County conservation agent who was manning the conservation displays. "All of the animals here are motherless and will be cared for until they can make it on their own."The animals -- a coyote, a raccoon, an albino raccoon and two bobcats --will be returned to the wild.Fair visitors flock to the live-animal displays.A rarity this year is the albino raccoon."They usually have short lives," said Scott. "They're easily seen by predators and very sensitive to light."Visitors also liked the bobcats, which are very much like large house cats except for their decidedly oversize paws."Displays like these give Missourians an opportunity to see animals they may otherwise not see," said Scott.The animals, along with fish and snakes, will be on display throughout today.The conservation pavilion provides a wealth of outdoor information. On display are numerous species of fish -- catfish, bass, bluegill, crappie and sun perch.Five of the state's 52 snake species are on display, including a copperhead and timber rattler, two of Missouri's four poisonous snakes.One of the most interesting snakes is the small eastern hognose, a species featuring an upturned snout and often referred to as the hissing viper."This little fellow is found statewide," said Scott, who reached into the cage and lifted the 6-inch snake into his palm. Actually, the snake is not always so small; they vary in length from 20 to 33 inches."The hognose has the ability to hiss loudly and spread its neck like a cobra," said Scott. If this defense fails to ward off enemies, then the snake may thrash around, open its mouth and "play dead," he explained.Other snakes on display at the pavilion are speckled kingsnake and a black rat snake, the most common and largest snake in the state. Length of the black snake varies form 42 inches to more than 6 feet.

TODAY'S SCHEDULE

Schedule for the Southeast Missouri District Fair's final day today:

-- Grandstand entertainment, David Kersh and David Lee Murphy, 8 p.m.

-- The Circus, Performances at 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m..

-- Fiddler's contest, 2 p.m.

-- Kids' Pedal Tractor Pull, 4 p.m.

-- Country, western and line dancing, 4:30 p.m.

-- Parade of livestock champions, 10:30 a.m.

-- Poultry and rabbit dress-up contests, 1 p.m.