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Thursday, January 25, 2007
Mei Lan’s new nickname: Wiggles
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She’s not a track star, nor is it likely that she’ll win awards for grace in motion.
But if the people at Zoo Atlanta start handing out medals for sheer motion, Mei Lan the baby giant panda might be a contender for the gold.
Mei Lan underwent her weekly checkup Thursday, rolling around, batting at just about everything that moved and sticking her furry nose into any cranny she could sniff out. Her handlers tried to get the usual measurements that indicate how well the cub is doing.
It wasn’t easy getting her vital statistics, said Dr. Maria Crane, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, but it was sort of fun: Who can get mad at a panda whose nose is stuck in a traffic cone? Yes, a traffic cone: It’s one of the “enrichment toys” the zoo has given the panda to keep her interested in her surroundings.
“She’s showing really good growth and development,” said Crane, who has been checking on Mei Lan since the cub’s birth to Lun Lun Sept. 6. “She continues to do well.”
How well? Mei Lan weighed 18.2 pounds — almost a pound more than her last checkup. From wiggly nose to wriggly tail, she measured 34 inches. She’s walking better every day, too, and frequently ventures to the panda pen’s outside viewing area.
Mei Lan also recently reached another milestone, the bathroom variety. The cub is learning to urinate and defecate on her own. In the past, Lun Lun had to help the kid along, licking the cub’s private parts to get Mei Lan to evacuate.
(Parents, think of that the next time you make a face at junior’s diaper.)
In science-talk, Mei Lan is meeting all developmental platforms.
Crane translated: She’s doing great.”
