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Friday, January 26, 2007
Cocktail party celebrates Mei Lan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She’s not exactly old enough to drink and, technically, most of the soiree was held after her bedtime. Still, that didn’t prevent about 250 well-wishers from attending “Shout for Joy!”, a cocktail party honoring Zoo Atlanta’s new celebrity, baby panda Mei Lan, Thursday night.
Chinese lanterns and a generous supply of portable heaters helped to guide chilled attendees to the panda habitat and the large heated tent erected for the occasion. Mei Lan toddled out for about 30 minutes to mug for local TV news cameras and cellphone cameras before hitting the hay.
The evening served as a thank you for the many corporate folks and civic leaders who originally helped to bring the pandas to Atlanta. Honorary chairs included three men who were all instrumental in the international exchange program: former President Jimmy Carter, former U.N. ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
During his brief remarks, Carter (who attended with his seven-year-old grandson Hugo) informed the crowd that negotiations centering on bringing two giant pandas to Atlanta date back more than 20 years.
Smiling, Carter cracked: “There was an extraordinary amount of money involved. … But we have realized the ultimate dream.” In exchange for his many efforts, Carter and Hugo had a few private moments to gaze at Mei Lan through the glass.
“Hugo was delighted,” Carter said. “He’s even missing Sponge Bob Square Pants to come out and see Mei Lan tonight.”
Zoo Atlanta president Dennis Kelly then surprised the crowd by unfurling two banners that will be hung around the city to celebrate Mei Lan’s arrival in a partnership with Brand Atlanta. The 200 banners — one depicting a very recent photo of the baby and another with Mei Lan and mom Lun Lun — are going up throughout the city this week.
Standing in the back of the tent, Zoo spokeswoman Susan Elliott took it all in.
“Mei Lan has really permeated the pop culture of this city,” she reflected of the past few months. “It’s amazing.”
Elliott said that about 50,000 online visitors are logging onto zooatlanta.org daily to sneak a peek at the baby via the “panda cam.”
On the recent MLK Day weekend, zoo attendance jumped by 211-percent over the warm three-day period.
In the coming weeks, the zoo will begin offering “online time-ticketing” as well. Taking a tip from the High Museum and the Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta will offer guests an opportunity to “make an appointment to see Mei Lan,” said Elliott.
Alas, the start of the program won’t coincide with warmer temperatures but will rely instead of Mei Lan’s growth.
“Once she feels more comfortable being outside for longer periods of time, we’ll begin to offer the online time-ticketing as an option,” Elliott said.
“It could be as early as the next few weeks. We’ll just have to see.”
