The panda twins at Zoo Atlanta are no longer Cub A and Cub B.
During a Wednesday morning naming ceremony broadcast by Good Morning America, the male cubs were given the names Mei Lun and Mei Huan, which translate to “something indescribably beautiful and magnificent.”
The ceremony, presided over by Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, came after a national contest sponsored by the television news show, in which more than 50,000 voters nationwide chose from a list of possible Chinese names.
In accordance with Chinese tradition, the panda twins, born on July 15, were not named until they were 100 days old. The offspring of mother Lun Lun and father Yang Yang, the cubs are the first surviving panda twins born in the U.S. They are siblings to three other brothers, Mei Lan, Xi Lan and Po.
About 350 visitors came to Zoo Atlanta early Wednesday for the naming ceremony, including patrons that flew in from out of town, said Raymond King, zoo president and CEO. “The enthusiasm at seven in the morning was unbelievable,” he said. “You would have thought it was spring break.”
Zoo Atlanta’s status as the first zoo in the U.S. to successfully nurture a pair of panda twins is a great event not just for the zoo and the city, but for the species and for U.S./China relations, King said.
“It shows the unique ability of Zoo Atlanta to shine a light on the city, and bring people together from extremely diverse backgrounds.”
The cubs are still learning to walk, and are expected to go on exhibit later this fall, but can viewed remotely by clicking on the panda cam at the Zoo Atlanta web site.
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