Saturday, January 6
Mei Lan continues to surprise everyone with the quickness of her development. After starting to get fairly mobile over the last few days, she has decided that it is time to start to crawl over things. If mom is not going to pay her any attention, she will just have to go to mom to get it. If you did not get a chance to see it on panda cam yesterday afternoon, the cub has learned how to crawl into adjacent dens. This is no small feat for her, since in the doorways there is an 8-inch tall cinder block that she has to crawl over. The nest box is only about 5 inches in height, which Mei Lan still periodically has trouble getting over. The doorway between the dens are smooth like the floor which give Mei Lan nothing to grip on to. She has to reach all the way over the cinder block to grip onto the other side. This adds about another 8 inches of stretch that she has to do, and it takes lots of front arm strength to pull herself up. Arm strength is what Mei Lan is going to need if she wants to start to climb in the next month.
J.T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II

Mei Lan was playing with some bamboo

Friday, January 5
Mei Lan has discovered walking. Well, more appropriately she's discovered standing on all fours and wobbling in whatever direction she's pointed in, but it's a close approximation. We're very excited and heartened by this development, and our little girl is right on track for developmental milestones. Mei Lan has clearly discovered that the new mobility means greater freedom, and is exercising her legs and rights throughout the day.So you can imagine my surprise when I looked at the camera yesterday, watching Mei Lan sleep. Two minutes later, I glanced over again and all I saw was a fuzzy little butt heading over one of the ledges between the dens! She had her front paws, head and chest over the ledge and was doing her best to get over and follow Lun Lun, who had gone out into the dayroom to eat. Unfortunately, her little back legs aren't quite strong enough to push her over the top yet, so she fell back in the nestbox, and slept for hours from her exertions.

She tried again this morning. She was gamely leaving mom behind, heading into the next den. This time, Mei Lan braced herself on the side of the nestbox and was almost over when Lun Lun grabbed her and brought her back to the nestbox. Thwarted on the cusp of freedom! But these are more great signs, and we're looking forward to more activity and exploration from Atlanta's beautiful girl!
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III

Thursday, January 4
Quick health checks on Mei Lan are now occurring in her den area and she is weighed daily. Her weight this morning was 6.8 kg (almost 15 lbs). Her teeth continue to erupt and she is getting better and better at walking. Yesterday, Lun Lun slept away from Mei Lan in an outdoor habitat for about an hour. This is the first time Lun Lun has slept outside since Mei Lan was born.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Wednesday, January 3
Perhaps in response to Mei Lan nursing more often, Lun Lun’s appetite has increased recently. She weighs 109 kg (240 lbs), which is in the middle of her normal weight range. She’s been devouring her bamboo, particularly overnight. She has been receiving additional biscuits since she gave birth and we are pleased that she’s eating more bamboo too. She’s currently eating rivercane bamboo (Arundinaria gigantea) really well. This bamboo is native to the southeastern United States, unlike the other bamboo species we offer which were originally imported mostly from China and Japan.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Tuesday, January 2
Mei Lan continues to improve her walking skills. This morning she was again able to get her back legs under herself and take several steps in the den. Learning to walk takes energy. Usually, after 20-30 minutes of activity, she falls asleep for an hour or two. The keepers have also noticed that Mei Lan has been nursing more often in recent days.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Monday, January 1, 2007
Happy New Year's to all from Yang Yang, Lun Lun, and Mei Lan. All three were rather tired this morning, sleeping in a little bit longer. They must have had their own New Year's Eve party last night, and stayed up late trying to clean up the mess that they made. So far this year it has been rather quiet, nothing really exciting to report on the bears today. Both Lun Lun and Yang Yang are enjoying their bamboo this morning, which is a nice sight to see. And little Mei Lan is just sleeping the day away. It is hard trying to learn how to walk. This year is sure to bring lots of excitement here in the panda department watching how the little one develops.
JT Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II

Sunday, December 31
I had a surprising thing happen at the close of yesterday. While I was in the den that contains the nest box doing a quick evening clean, Mei Lan showed up at my feet. She had crawled approximately 10 feet and ended up in front of the den and outside the nest box. And she was just looking at me. It was almost like she was trying to say, "What are you doing?" At that point, I removed myself from the den as not to give Lun Lun the impression that I was going to do anything with her cub. I then watched her for a few minutes. Mei Lan is finally getting her back legs underneath her regularly on the smooth floors. In the past, she has been able to stand when she was on a surface that gave her traction, but last evening she did an excellent job just on the den floors. Though she was still wobbling, she was doing it over and over again. She has continued this today! In fact, Lun Lun was in another area of the den and Mei Lan once again crawled out of the nest box and headed right towards her mother. All this is a great sign that she could be starting to walk more steadily.
JT Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II Saturday, December 30
Lun Lun continues to carry the cub around throughout the day and night. Over the last week, when the keepers arrive in the morning, Mei Lan is often found in an adjacent den area. Lun Lun has picked her up and carried over there during the night, much like she does throughout the daytime. The cub is not hurt in anyway and this is a behavior that we want to see. It would be common for mothers in the wild to rotate dens with their cubs as they continue to grow. This is likely what Lun Lun is trying to accomplish. She will carry Mei Lan over to the same spot in the adjacent den and leave her there for extended periods of time to go off to feed. She returns periodically to check on her. After some hours later, Mei Lan normally gets carried back to the birthing den box, where she has spent most of her time. 
J.T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II

Friday, December 29
Those of you watching panda cam may have noticed that the small woven fiber mats we were using to provide traction for Mei Lan are gone. At some point, Lun Lun decided they were mighty fine toys and they ended up being enrichment for mom. Unfortunately, that meant no more traction for the cub. If you look carefully beneath the hay in the nest box, you can now see little white traction strips like you'd place on the bottom of your shower or tub. These have been limited in their success in aiding Mei Lan's first steps. We are now trying black rubber mats. These have been left outside the dens to let Lun Lun get accustomed to them. Yesterday, they were placed one in the den area for the first time. Lun Lun hadn't really messed with the mat and later in the afternoon she carried Mei Lan over and deposited her on top of it. We took this as a good sign. Mei Lan IMMEDIATELY got her little paws under her and sped off the mat, apparently happy with her newfound traction. Once on the floor again, she floundered and mom rescued her putting her back on the mat. At this point, Lun Lun decided the mat would be a good toy and she started playing with it. This led to us pulling the mat out for the Mei Lan's safety. We will continue to try and desensitize Lun Lun to the presence of the mat, in hopes that eventually she'll ignore them. Because when Mei Lan gets her feet under her, she can really move!!!
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III

Mei Lan has a guest veterinarian

Thursday, December 28
Mei Lan had another health check this morning. She also had a special visitor. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is a licensed veterinarian and he assisted with the exam. Mei Lan continues to thrive. She weighs 6.3 kg (13.9 lbs.) and measures 74 cm (28.9 in.) from her nose to the tip of her tail. She is in excellent health and becoming more and more alert and active. She’s also becoming more rambunctious during her exams. From now on we will be doing brief exams in her den area where it is quieter and will require very little handling.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and ManagementWednesday, December 27
Yesterday and this morning we saw some play-fighting between Lun Lun and Mei Lan. Play-fighting is social and for giant pandas it includes biting, pawing and wrestling with a partner. It can be quite vigorous, especially in older cubs, but it is play and thus the intention is not to hurt the play partner. Giant pandas also play with objects and engage in locomotor play (i.e., solitary play that includes movement, like somersaulting). In our studies of giant panda mothers and cubs, we’ve found play-fighting to be the most common type of play. As Mei Lan becomes stronger and more mobile, the amount of play-fighting between her and Lun Lun will increase. One of the greatest joys of my life is watching giant panda mothers play with their cubs. I am happy that you will have the chance to share that joy watching Lun Lun and Mei Lan.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Tuesday, December 26
Mei Lan and Lun Lun had a peaceful holiday weekend. Lun Lun has been carrying Mei Lan around from den to den and they have access to the dayroom, but so far, Lun Lun leaves Mei Lan behind when she spends time in the dayroom. Mei Lan is making good progress learning to walk. This morning she crawled out of the nest box and stood and walked outside of the nest box briefly. She is getting stronger and is better able to pull her legs under her to stand. She is improving almost daily. Over the weekend, the keepers put some no-slip adhesive strips on the floor in the nest box to give her more traction. These have helped a bit, but Lun Lun often carries Mei Lan into other areas and leaves her outside of the nest box. Luckily, Mei Lan is determined and is becoming more and more mobile. When Lun Lun tries to roll over or reposition Mei Lan, our little girl is now stronger and able to rearrange herself back to her liking. Soon she will be able to follow her mom and won’t be left behind anymore.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD and Jay Pratte

Who knew Mei Lan could do yoga?

Super Panda!

Friday, December 22
Yesterday we saw Mei Lan mouthing a small piece of bamboo for the first time. Lun Lun had carried Mei Lan into an adjacent den and left her near some bamboo. Mei Lan sniffed at the nearby bamboo and mouthed it briefly. Giant pandas cubs 4-12 months old usually spend quite a bit of time investigating bamboo. They will hold it in their paws, manipulate it, and mouth it, and sometimes ingest very small pieces. They don't actually feed on bamboo until they are 13-14 months old.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Thursday, December 21
Mei Lan had her usual health check today. She weighs 13 lbs and is 27.5 inches from her nose to the tip of her tail. Shortly, after the exam this morning, she climbed out of the nest box by herself. This is the first time we’ve seen her do this. Her coordination has improved significantly in the last week and she is now better able to position her rear legs under herself. We placed mats in the nest box to give her more traction when she tries to walk, but Lun Lun has been pulling the mats out and tearing them up. So, the mats haven’t been much of a help. Although the smooth floors make learning to walk challenging, Mei Lan is progressing well and at a normal rate.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Wednesday, December 20
Yesterday Lun Lun slept on the climbing structure in the dayroom. She has spent more of the day in this area, making a few trips back to Mei Lan’s den area to check on her. This is only the second time that Lun Lun has slept out on exhibit. While Lun Lun was out eating and sleeping, Mei Lan spent most of the day sleeping with a few bursts of crawling attempts. She is still working hard to get her hind legs to support her weight, so the attempts end up with her making circles in the hay.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II

Tuesday, December 19
Because Lun Lun has been carrying Mei Lan around more and taking her into the other dens, we placed a nest box in one of the indoor exhibit rooms (we call them dayrooms) in case Lun Lun wants to carry her into the dayroom. Giant panda mothers in the wild usually move their cubs to different den sites. So, we are giving Lun Lun another choice.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Monday, December 18
Lun Lun has been carrying Mei Lan around more in recent days and leaving her in the adjacent dens. Sometimes Lun Lun leaves Mei Lan in adjacent den for more than an hour before carrying her back to the nest box. This may be a sign that Lun Lun is ending her denning period with the cub. This normally coincides with the cub learning to walk
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Sunday, December 17
Mei Lan seems to be more alert and awake for longer periods of time each day. We have even seen her begin to focus on her keepers when we check in on her. If she happens to be awake, she will lift her head and look right up at you. Sometimes she will even try to orient her body in your direction. This is just the beginning of her exploring her new world. She will certainly be much more curious as each day passes.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II

Saturday, December 16
As you probably read at the end of yesterday's update, there was mention that Mei Lan tried to crawl out of the den box. We are probably going to see more of this behavior within the next week or so because of some new mats that we have placed underneath the hay in the den box. With the baby growing stronger each day, these mats will provide traction for the cub and allow her to learn to crawl faster then she would if they were not present. Before the mats were placed underneath the cub, they were given to Lun Lun in an adjacent den to see how she would react to them. We were looking to see how much she would try to manipulate the mats and see if she tried to shred them. She ignored them which was a good sign that they could be safely used in the nesting box. So far they have had the desired effect and we hope that Mei Lan will be running around soon!
J.T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II

Mei Lan, which translates to “Atlanta Beauty” won the poll, receiving 22% of the 57,015 votes cast. Read the full story of today's historical event!

Friday, December 15,
100 Day Ceremony

Her name is Mei Lan!

Cub watchers of Atlanta, and voters around the world. In case you somehow missed all the pomp and celebration surrounding today's 100 Day Naming Ceremony here at Zoo Atlanta, our cub has been christened "Mei Lan," which roughly translates to "Atlanta Beauty." At the end of an amazing ceremony, attended by leaders and dignitaries from China and Georgia, Dennis Kelly and Dr. Zhang Zhihe dropped a curtain to reveal the cub's new name to the guests, the media, and the world. We are all proud to be part of the family here for this momentous event, and hope that all of you who follow Mei Lan's growth feel as privileged as we do to be partners to China, and the world, in furthering the conservation, care and understanding of China's national treasures.

On a more direct note, Mei Lan tried her darndest today to heave herself over the edge of her little nest box. With mom contentedly munching bamboo next door, and the keepers watching, she laboriously managed to haul her head, front right paw, and leg over the edge, well on her way to freedom (well, from the nest box, anyhow). Unfortunately, her developing baby muscles ran out of juice partway through, and she fell back onto the hay exhausted, but it's another great sign, on an all-around great day, that Mei Lan is progressing rapidly.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III

Watch her first steps on the new video

Thursday, December 14
The cub had another health check today. This one was very special because Dr. Zhang Zhihe, the Director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (the institution that loans the pandas to Zoo Atlanta), assisted with the exam. He and 11 other giant panda officials from China are visiting Atlanta for the cub’s naming ceremony. Many of these people are old friends of ours and we are delighted to have them here to celebrate the cub with us. Dr. Zhang was very pleased with how well the cub is doing. She even showed off for him by taking a couple of steps during the exam! She weighs 5.4 kg (11.9 lbs) and she’s 67 cm (26.4 inches) from her nose to the tip of her tail. While she was out of her nest box, the keepers placed some mats in the box underneath the bedding to give the cub better footing when she tries to crawl. As usual, Lun Lun was very calm while the cub was away. She participated in a training session and also had a visit from Dr. Zhang. He said she is an especially beautiful panda because of her very round face. That’s high praise from a man who oversees an institution that has 60 giant pandas. We expect the cub will be just as beautiful as her mother when she grows up.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Wednesday, December 13
Lun Lun and her cub continue to do well. We are looking forward to the naming ceremony and celebration on Friday. The keepers made some wonderful new enrichment for Lun Lun and Yang Yang to enjoy as part of the celebration. They will be receiving papier mache toys, made and painted to look like Chinese lanterns. These will be filled with treats and hung in the pandas’ enclosures. I’m sure they will enjoy playing with and destroying the toys to reach the food inside.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Tuesday, December 12
Early this morning, Lun Lun carried her cub out of the nest box and left her on the den floor near the nest box for the first time. The cub spent nearly an hour scooting around outside the nest box. Scooting is what we call the cub’s movement when she uses her forelegs and rear legs to pull and push herself. It’s a precursor to crawling in which the rear legs are positioned underneath the body. One of the keepers returned the cub to the nest box later in the morning to clean the den floor. We are looking forward to the cub spending more time out of the nest box and eventually being able to leave it on her own.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Monday, December 11
As the cub has gotten older the number of times she nurses per day has decreased, but the total amount of time spent nursing each day has increased. In the first month she nursed 5 to 7 times a day for about 30 minutes total per day. In the second month, this decreased to 4 times a day, but total time spent nursing per day was an hour. Now, she usually nurses 3 to 4 times per day for about an hour total.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Sunday, December 10
The cub is now 95 days old. She is growing stronger every day and continues making more attempts to stand and walk. But, she is still only scooting around the nest box.

Thanks to everyone who has voted so far. Voting will end tonight (Sunday, December 10) at midnight. The winning names will be announced on December 15 th, when the cub is 100 days old.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II

Saturday, December 9
Lun Lun and Yang Yang have been enjoying their bamboo selection over the last few days. Currently, we are offering three different species. These are not the only species that we offer throughout the year, there are potentially over 20 species that they will eat. However, at this time they are happy with the types that we have. At different times of the year they prefer different species and different parts of the bamboo. After seven years of having the bears here we can almost anticipate what types they would like to eat. Lun Lun seems to be spending a little more time away from the cub to eat bamboo over the last few days. We are happy because the more she eats, the more milk there will be for the baby.
J.T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II

She's cute and may soon be mobile!

Friday, December 8
Well, I assisted with the cub examination yesterday for the first time. It was an exciting event for me, as it was my first interaction with the cub since she was born. It is a rare and special opportunity to be so close to her, as we take a very hands-off approach to managing the giant pandas. People often ask us during our keeper talks if we go in with the adult pandas. Our response is, no, because they are still 300 pound bears and we treat them with respect. We work with them and train them, but always with a safety barrier between us and them. Since our little girl is going to be a BIG girl one day, it is prudent to establish a policy for working with her in a protected fashion from the beginning. Then the panda also understands its interaction parameters and expectations.

It was great experience to assist Dr. Crane with a health check and measurements, but the older the cub gets, the more capable she is of asserting herself. Those are MY hands in front of her little snout in yesterday's video on www.ajc.com. You can see the point she decides she is unhappy, and makes a noise and lets us know she'd had enough. Often a noise or assertion like that is accompanied by teeth, so luckily the cub's are just starting to erupt. Like with the adults, we treat her with the respect she deserves. Ultimately when working with animals, this earns the animals' trust and respect, and makes our job as caregivers a whole lot simpler.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III

Thursday, December 7
The cub received another health check today. She stood up for the first time on her own today, which is a good sign that she will be learning to crawl soon. She weighed 4.910 kg (10.8 lbs) and measured 64 cm (25 inches) from her nose to the tip of her tail. Lun Lun participated in a training session while the cub was away. The health check took about 10 minutes.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management