Related Pages
	Mei Lan photo gallery
	Video of Lun Lun and Mei Lan
	Panda cub timeline
	Meet the pandas

Thank you for your interest in Yang Yang, Lun Lun, and Mei Lan. We want to make sure we answer questions you may have. We love to hear from you, but please look through the answers below before you send an email or call us with a question or concern, because your answer may have already been provided. You can also check out the giant panda development timeline, Mei Lan’s photo gallery, or the meet the panda page for more information.

Born September 6, 2006 at 4:51 pm to mother Lun Lun at Zoo Atlanta. Her father’s name is Yang Yang and is Zoo Atlanta’s resident male panda. Both parents were born in 1997 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu China. She was named Mei Lan, meaning “Atlanta Beauty” at a 100 Day Ceremony on December 15, 2006.

I will be visiting your zoo soon and want to know when I will be able to see Mei Lan?

Advance Giant Panda Viewing tickets are no longer needed.

When I look at Panda Cam I see Mei Lan by herself. Where is her mom?

Mei Lan and Lun Lun have access to several adjoining enclosures. Lun Lun spends time eating and sleeping in many different areas. This is normal behavior. Giant panda mothers often leave their cubs for a few hours at a time to forage. Now that Mei Lan is able to walk well, she sometimes follows her mom, but sometimes she prefers to stay where she is to play or sleep. For more information check out the panda cub updates from 11/28/06 and 1/23/07. Lun Lun also comes and checks on Mei Lan throughout the day.

The panda building layout, there are also 3 adjoining yards outside

We only see Mei Lan in a small area. How much room does she have?

Mei Lan looks bored. When is she active? Does she have toys with which to play?

Sleep is a very important part of Mei Lan’s development. It is normal for Lun Lun and Yang Yang to sleep about half the day and a cub, like Mei Lan, normally spends more time sleeping than an adult. Mei Lan is given enrichment everyday. Sometimes we place it in the adjacent den or in the dayroom to encourage her to play and explore in different areas. Sometimes her enrichment is just off camera view because we have the camera zoomed in so close. Keep in mind that not all enrichment comes in the form of toys. We also provide scents and sounds for enrichment. For more information check out the panda cub updates from 1/9/07, 1/12/07, 1/19/07, and 1/24/07.

Not part of her diet yet, but fun to chew!

We see Mei Lan chewing on bamboo. Is she eating it?

She is not eating bamboo yet. She still depends on her mother’s milk for all her nutritional needs. She nurses about three to four times a day. As she gets older, she will begin to ingest very small pieces of bamboo, but she will not feed on bamboo until she is over one year old. For more information check out the panda cub updates from 12/4/06 and 12/22/06.

She looks so cute and cuddly! Do her keepers go in and play with her?

No, the keepers do not go in and play with Mei Lan. Mei Lan is a wild animal that will grow up to be a big, strong bear. We will teach Mei Lan commands using positive reinforcement training. As she grows up, this training will allow us to interact with her in a safe way, like we do with her parents, through a barrier. For more information check out the panda cub update from 1/25/07.

There is no sound on Panda Cam. What kind of sounds does Mei Lan make?

In the first few weeks of her life, Mei Lan vocalized a lot more than she does now. She used to vocalize when she was uncomfortable or hungry and it sometimes sounded a little bit like the crying of a human infant. Now she is a lot less vocal. She sometimes makes whining vocalizations when she and her mother are playing. Soon we expect her to start making the same vocalizations as an adult giant panda. For example, her mother sometimes bleats to her. This sounds somewhat like a goat bleating. It is an affiliate or friendly sound giant pandas make to each other. Mei Lan will probably start to make that sound herself in the next few months. Otherwise, Mei Lan is pretty quiet. For more information check out the panda cub update from 11/4/06)

Yang Yang

I have not seen Mei Lan with Yang Yang. When will she get to spend time with her dad?

Mei Lan will never be in the same enclosure with her dad, Yang Yang. For more information check out the panda cub update from 10/5/06. Only the giant panda mother takes care of the cub. The father has nothing to do with caring for his offspring and could potentially be aggressive toward his offspring. Adult giant pandas are solitary and only interact with each other during the mating season. For more information check out the panda info page. Mei Lan will stay with her mom until she old enough to feed exclusively on bamboo, then she will be weaned and live on her own.

I understand that Yang Yang and Lun Lun are on loan from Chengdu, China. Does Mei Lan belong to Zoo Atlanta since she was born here? If not, when does she go back to China?

Like her parents, Mei Lan belongs to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Sometime after she is weaned, she will be sent to another facility where a potential mate will be available for her. This will probably happen when she is about 3 years old, but a definite age has not been decided upon, yet.

When I check Panda Cam, I do not see a panda. Is Panda Cam working?

Panda Cam hours are Monday-Friday 10am-5pm EST. If a problem with Panda Cam is under repair, a note will be posed below the online camera view. If you do not see a note about any repairs and still have a blank screen, please check the “Problems viewing Panda Cam” page. If you check in and see a wall or an empty enclosure, please be patient. The giant panda keepers are often also the camera controllers and have many tasks they have to complete. They will put one of the giant pandas back on view as soon as they can get back to the controls. For more information check out the panda cub updates from 11/14/06 and 1/12/07.