Home > Panda Watch > Archives > 2007 > February > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMei Lan, another winter storm
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Take one little tornado. Give it some toys and a warm place to snooze. Wrap it in black-and-white.
What have you got?
Mei Lan the panda cub, a whirlwind of activity as she strolls, rolls and gambols toward the 5-month mark. Zoo Atlanta’s baby giant panda is docile no longer, her doctor said Thursday.
“She was, uh, roly-poly,” said Dr. Maria Crane, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, who gives the cub weekly checkups. “She is much more active now.”
Crane, like most scientific types, does not like to exaggerate. If she did, Crane would probably compare Mei Lan, born Sept. 6 to Lun Lun, to a furry billiard ball — round and fast, bouncing off just about everything.
Not only is she fast, she’s growing. According to the zoo, Mei Lan now weighs 18.9 pounds. Last week, she made the scales groan at 18.2.
Length? Crane tried stretching a measuring tape from Mei Lan’s nose to tail, but it was like trying to measure an excited Labrador retriever. Crane reverted, instead, to the method grandma used. She eyedballed the kid, then declared: “She’s growing.”
How much? “She’s about the same length as last week.” That’s 34 inches, more or less.
While she may not be certain how long her young charge is, Crane knows Mei Lan is thriving. She gnaws on her toys. She rolls on her back. Her shadow bounces like a ball when the winter sun shines.
And, no matter the weather, she is a tempest, wrapped in black and white.
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Comments
By Panda Lover
February 1, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this
I can’t wait to see Mei Lan. I’ve followed her story since her birth via the Panda Cam. She is so beautiful!
By TheOne
February 1, 2007 11:08 AM | Link to this
GO Mei Lan!!! Too cute…
By ruben
February 1, 2007 11:28 AM | Link to this
Little Mei Lan rules!!! And a special thanks and great job to Zoo Atlanta for keeping the Panda species thriving…
By Pat
February 1, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the updates on Mei Lan. I love just reading these articles of the “furry billboard ball” :)
By julie
February 1, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this
aww how sweet.. I just love her :)
By Cori
February 1, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this
Mei Lan is adorable. I just wish I could pick her up and hold her before she gets real big!
By Kaye
February 1, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this
Thank you, AJC, for your great job on keeping us in touch with our bouncing baby girl!
By Terrie
February 1, 2007 01:35 PM | Link to this
It’s nice to read some fun and exciting news for a change.
By Zoo goer
February 1, 2007 02:54 PM | Link to this
Everyone has to go meet her. She is out in the mornings now and is soooo adorable. I’ve seen her twice already and love keeping up with her growth.
By cheryl
February 1, 2007 05:24 PM | Link to this
I can not thank you enough for sharing this little bundle of joy with us. I look forward to visiting Atlant to see her. I have even turned a crowd of people at work into junkies. We have been watching her since she was born.
By Michael Kelly
February 1, 2007 05:49 PM | Link to this
I got to see her the day before Xmas as I am from Daytona Beach, FL hoping to get back up there again to see her.
By Edie & Katie in Lafayette, La
February 2, 2007 07:47 AM | Link to this
We love her dearly. She was part of a school assignment. We especially loved the story about the father liking Tabasco Sauce. She is soo cute. We hope to return to Atlanta soon so we can see her in person. Until then, thanks for AJC.com which is now our homepage.
By Kim & Johnnie in Atl
February 2, 2007 09:32 AM | Link to this
To Cheryl on Feb 1st. We’ve become panda cub “junkies” too. We watch her on the Panda Cam everyday. What a joy it’s been watching her grow up and especially now as she’s beginning to really show her personality.
By Mark Davis
February 2, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this
Dear Edie & Katie in lovely Lafayette: I was delighted to see that you have made the AJC your homepage. Please email me before you come to Atlanta to see the cub. Such loyalty cannot go unrecognized. -Mark Davis AJC
By Jacque
February 13, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this
I have really fallen “in love” with the cutest little Panda on the planet! Thank you Zoo Atlanta for letting us watch her daily as she grows up through Panda Cam and the updates.