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DEL.ICIO.USTimed tickets for Mei Lan go on sale
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Your chance to see Mei Lan, Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda cub, just got easier and, in some cases, more expensive. Although Mei Lan has been on view since Jan. 12, during “preview” days, the zoo will begin selling timed tickets Friday that all but guarantee holders a view of the cub in her habitat.
Q: When can I get a ticket?
A. They are available online, beginning at 8 a.m. Friday (www.zooatlanta.org). The zoo will have them at the gate starting at 9:30 a.m.
Q. What do they cost?
A. The online tickets are $2.50 for members, $5 for nonmembers (in addition to regular admission). But they are free at the gate.
Q. So why pay extra for online tickets?
A. The online tickets are time-specific. You are guaranteed a time to visit Mei Lan and her parents if you order online. If they sell out online, people wanting one at the gate are out of luck.
Q. When can you see Mei Lan?
A. Zoo members can come to the gate from 9 a.m.-9:30 a.m. and get in before anyone else, for free. Timed visits for the public start at 9:30 a.m., with the last scheduled visits commencing at 11:45 a.m. As Mei Lan gets older, she’ll spend more time outside, and the zoo will offer more timed tickets. For now, the zoo is offering tickets only in the morning, when the baby, who now weighs 22 pounds, is outside with her mom, Lun Lun.
Q, How much time for viewing per ticket?
A. Fifteen minutes.
Q. How many people can visit during each 15-minute period?
A. The zoo is allowing 150 people into the panda area at a time. There, the people will be divided into groups of 50. Each 50-person group will be allowed into the covered area to gaze at the cub, while the remaining 100 check out Yang Yang, the father, who is segregated from Lun Lun and Mei Lan. They’ll also learn about the zoo’s research into pandas and worldwide conservation efforts to preserve these creatures.
Q. How will the zoo use the extra money from online ticket sales?
A. The cash will be used for wild-panda conservation programs.
Q. Can I see the adult pandas in the afternoon, after Mei Lan’s formal visiting hours are ended?
A. Sure. But Mei Lan, like any beauty, may decide she needs her rest.
Q. Will she have a baby brother or sister in the future?
A. Lun Lun and Yang Yang were unavailable for comment.
Q. How can I get tickets?
A. Log on to www.zooatlanta.org to order timed tickets. The site also contains information about the tickets. Or you can call 404-624-9453 (WILD).
Q. Where is the zoo?
A. It’s where the wild things are, Atlanta’s Grant Park: 800 Cherokee Ave. SE, Atlanta.
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