I have written many blogs highlighting the wonderful attractions Atlanta, Georgia has to offer visitors and residents alike. Get ready, I have one more to add to the list. I just can’t help myself—there’s so much about the city that warrants gushing over (save for the horrendous traffic and the drivers—Atlanta drivers… let’s just leave that topic for another blog, this blog is about the city’s positive attributes).
Not that you needed another, but now there’s one more reason to stop by Zoo Atlanta. A new resident has arrived at the zoo (and made history in the process)—she is the nation’s newest panda cub – Mei Lan, a 12-pound ball of fluff too young to understand what all the fuss is about.
Zoo officials say the name Mei Lan means “Atlanta Beauty.” It was chosen as the most popular name in an online poll hosted by a local newspaper. Little Peach and Bright Star were among the other choices in the poll, but voters decided to give the zoo’s newest resident some hometown flair. After all, she is a long way from her mother’s homeland.
Mei-Lan’s mom, 9-year-old Lun Lun gave birth to her in September. The newborn is only the fifth giant panda born at a U.S. zoo in the last six years. Mei Lan was shipped from the Chengdu panda refuge and breeding center located in China’s Sichuan Province.
The center’s director said Mei Lan, pronounced “may-lan,” has male overtones, a gift Chinese parents bestow on female children whom they want to step outside traditional roles for women.
“It means her parents want her to be as capable as a boy,” the director told local news reporters. “It is a beautiful name.”
Despite the pomp and circumstance surrounding Mei Lan’s arrival I should note that her public debut is still a couple of weeks away so if you are traveling to Atlanta for Christmas you may want to stay until after the new year so you can see her in person (or plan a future trip). But don’t wait too long, zoo officials say Mei Lan will eventually be sent to China to breed.
To read my review of the city, which includes other must-see city attractions click here.
To read my last review of Zoo Atlanta click here.
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