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Thursday, February 8, 2007
The steady and ready teddy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She’s growing steadily, playing readily, this little bear that so resembles a teddy.
That’s Mei Lan, of course, Zoo Atlanta’s baby giant panda, who underwent her weekly checkup Thursday. She’s in the pink.
That’s the color of her nose, resting like a sweetheart rose between two bright eyes. Dr. Maria Crane, the zoo’s senior veterinarian, measured the panda’s sniffer during the cub’s weekly checkup Thursday morning.
“Overall, she’s growing very well,” said Crane, who has been examining the cub regularly since her birth Sept. 6 to Lun Lun. “She’s very playful, too.”
So playful that Crane had trouble, again, getting the cub’s vitals. After several tries, Crane came up with the following results:
• Weight: 20 pounds. Mei Lan’s put on another pound since last week.
• Length: 32 inches, more or less. This measurement has varied in recent checkups, and it’s wiggly Mei Lan’s fault. Last week, Crane estimated she was 34 inches long.
• Girth: slightly more than 19 inches.
• Neck girth: 14 inches.
• Teeth? Crane didn’t count, but said they look good.
The true measure of her growth, though, cannot be calculated with tape or scale, said Crane. “She’s more aware of her surroundings,” Crane said. “She’s active — very, very active.”
Mei Lan has begun climbing the wooden structures in the compound where she lolls in the sun. She chews on toys and rolls about like something fired from a cannon.
Oh, and that rosy little nose? It’s 2 inches across.
Click here to see the latest photo gallery of Mei Lan.
