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Mei Lan unfazed by city honors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Imagine you’re the type of local luminary who can’t get through any restaurant in town without stopping to shake hands and slap backs. Despite the demands for your time, you’re up bright and early on a Saturday to preside over a much-anticipated ceremony.
And the guest of honor naps through the whole thing.
If you’re Sam Massell, former mayor and tireless booster of Atlanta, and the honoree is Mei Lan, famous baby panda, you grin and bear it.
Massell, whose many affiliations include the Native Atlantans Club, joined fellow members at the zoo Saturday morning to claim Mei Lan as one of their own.
“She’s a native Atlantan,” Massell said during the brief event. “She will always be, no matter where she lives.”
With that, he presented a membership certificate to Mei Lan, born Sept. 6, 2006. (The panda was behind glass in her dayroom, not to mention asleep, so the zoo’s vice president of marketing, Marcus Margerum, accepted the accolade on her behalf.)
As the zoo wraps up a week of celebrating its famous resident’s first birthday, its staff knows Mei Lan probably won’t be around for many more. Dennis Kelly, the zoo’s president and CEO, says she may be here about another year before heading to China, where scientists hope she’ll play a role in growing the panda population.
Native Atlantan Club member Edna Smith doesn’t like that a bit.
“I would love for her to stay here,” said Smith, who has never lived anywhere but Atlanta. “She’s adorable.”
And sleepy.
After Massell’s remarks and before a club luncheon at the zoo, members strolled through the exhibit to catch a glimpse of their furry new member.
“Come on, baby girl, wake up!” pleaded Jan Appling. “We want to see your precious face.”
Nothing doing. Mei Lan’s glossy black fur gleamed in the patch of sunlight she chose for a mid-morning snooze. She scarcely moved, although mom Lun Lun busily chomped bamboo in an adjoining area.
Visitors on Saturday included Jason Haley and Tonya Krause, who flew in from Harrisburg, Pa., on Wednesday, for the panda’s birthday.
“We were here in December for her naming ceremony,” noted Krause.
Ever the Atlanta ambassador, Massell welcomed the couple to attend the short certificate ceremony, but not without a genial harumph.
“No one flew to me on my birthday,” he quipped.
Mei Lan snoozes at 1st birthday bash
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Under a white tented pavilion today, dignitaries such as Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle clustered at Zoo Atlanta to commemorate panda cub Mei Lan’s first birthday.
As news cameras panned the scene, a puppeteer hoisted a blue, ceremonially garbed panda puppet aloft as its mechanical arms painted a self-portrait to applause.
Zoo Atlanta president Dennis Kelly puffed up as he referred to the cub’s party as ” a special, special day” and “one of the most significant days in Zoo Atlanta’s 118-year history.”
But inside the panda habitat, the birthday girl snoozed in a cluster of logs inside her shady indoor space. Nearby, two enormous boxes held two birthday sheet cakes. A quick peek underneath revealed white and red icing with the inscription: “Happy Birthday Mei Lan!”
Overhead, a birthday banner fluttered with hundreds of birthday wishes from zoo attendees. One read: “The spirit of Atlanta’s beautiful peach shines like a beacon of light across the ocean and guides our souls to a higher purpose. — Janet, London, England.”
Zoo Atlanta member and toddler Mary Katherine Boller kept her mother, Julie, and friend Heather Leary on their toes as she explored the closed-off area while waiting for Mei Lan to resume accepting visitors after the birthday ceremony.
In her arms, the 18-month-old clutched a tiny stuffed panda.
“It’s her favorite toy in the whole world,” Julie Boller remarked.
“We’re zoo members and we wanted to be here today to help Mei Lan celebrate,” added Leary.
The trio was on their way to a nearby gift shop for a Mei Lan upgrade.
Minutes later, Mary Katherine was sleepily smiling and posing for pictures in her stroller with a $49.99 stuffed panda roughly the same size as the toddler.
Mark Strozier of Fairburn took the day off to embrace his inner panda as he joined the birthday crowd.
“She’s my baby,” said Strozier, 47, watching Mei Lan wrestle with her mama, Lun Lun, inside the zoo’s panda exhibit.
“But I suppose for anybody who lives in Atlanta, she’s their baby too.”
A baby no longer. The cub, born Sept. 6, 2006, has grown from a shaky little mound of fuzz into a 57-pound dynamo.
In the process, Mei Lan has developed a following that exceeds Atlanta’s boundaries.
Barbara Kelley, who has a panda mailbox outside her home in Concord, N.C., traveled to Atlanta for Thursday’s event.
“I just love pandas,” said Kelley, 69.
“She’s got, I’ll bet, two thousand or three thousand (panda figurines) in her home,” daughter Amy Montgomery volunteered.
— Staff writer Mark Davis contributed to this report
Fans embrace their inner panda
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Strozier of Fairburn wore his heart on his sleeve this morning — as well as his t-shirt and hat.
Mei Lan mania does that to a guy, said Strozier.
Today, the Zoo Atlanta panda cub’s first birthday, Strozier took the day off and embraced his inner panda as he joined a crowd at the zoo for the festivities.
“She’s my baby,” said Strozier, 47, watching Mei Lan wrestle with her mama, Lun Lun, inside the zoo’s panda exhibit.
“But I suppose for anybody who lives in Atlanta, she’s their baby too.”
A baby no longer. The cub, born Sept. 6, 2006, has grown from a shaky little mound of fuzz into a 57-pound dynamo.
In the process, Mei Lan has developed a following that exceeds Atlanta’s boundaries. Ask Barbara Kelley. She has a panda mailbox outside her home in Concord, N.C.
“I just love pandas,” said Kelley, 69, visiting the zoo for Mei Lan’s birthday.
“She’s got, I’ll bet, two thousand or three thousand (panda figurines) in her home,” daughter Amy Montgomery volunteered.
That many? How does Kelley vacuum her house? Kelley smiled.
“I don’t dust very often,” she admitted.
And as she watched, more people entered the panda’s den. Children squealed. Mamas told them to hush. And everyone waited to wish Mei Lan a happy birthday.
The wait ends at 11 a.m., when the cub’s party begins.
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Happy Birthday Mei Lan!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wish Zoo Atlanta’s baby panda Mei Lan a happy first birthday.
If you have used the birthday card generator please post the entire line of text from the e-mail you received in the blog so others can read your card.
The cutest thief of all
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mei Lan has developed a case of sticky paws. She’s a purloining panda, a sneak, a thief.
In recent days, Zoo Atlanta’s baby giant panda has been swiping the biscuits zookeepers give her mother, Lun Lun. If mom turns her back, zoo employees say, her 8-month-old daughter comes sneaking like a fat little shadow. Zip! The biscuits, made of leafy material, are gone.
Mei Lan isn’t ready to eat the biscuits yet — she likes to hide them — but she is growing steadily. As of last week, the cub weighed 32 pounds. From little nose to wiggly tail, she measured almost 40 inches. She’s doing great, said Susan Elliott, a spokeswoman for the zoo.
Of course, there is that problem with the sticky paws.
“She’s turning into a little thief,” Elliott said.
The thief — er, the cub is on display, and the zoo urges people who want to see her to get tickets online. Log on to www.zooatlanta.org to get yours.
But keep the tickets close if you go see Mei Lan. According to reports, a thief is at large at the panda den.
Latest comments
I love watching Mei Lan on the panda cam. I wish I wish I lived closer to see her in person. I love the postings that keepers write about Mei Lan and Lun Lun and all the pandas. Keep up the nice work. I love the “Atlanta Beauty”.... read the full comment by Margaret McCabe | Comment on Mei Lan unfazed by city honors Read Mei Lan unfazed by city honors
I was at Mei Lan’s party Sept. 6. and the celebration held that night as well. The day before, I attended my 44 yr old sister’s funeral, who died of cervical cancer. It was hard for me to get up the next day and attend, but the love between... read the full comment by Debra Ramey | Comment on Mei Lan unfazed by city honors Read Mei Lan unfazed by city honors
DAVID…. You must be into DOG FIGHTING! Your callous remark shows no sense of decency sir…You don’t seem to understand that Pandas are worldwide ambassadors, and also a dying breed. Mei Lan will soon be moved to China….Then... read the full comment by ghost rider | Comment on Mei Lan unfazed by city honors Read Mei Lan unfazed by city honors
By David September 8, 2007 3:17 PM | Link to this PLEASE, PLEASE SHUT UP ABOUT THIS STUPID PANDA. It is evident that this guy David never loved anything that was precious. What a loss for him. We all love you Mei Lan... read the full comment by Betty | Comment on Mei Lan unfazed by city honors Read Mei Lan unfazed by city honors