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Mei Lan

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Mei Lan
Two-year-old giant panda Mei Lan at Zoo Atlanta
SpeciesGiant panda
SexMale
Born (2006-09-06) 6 September 2006 (age 18)
Zoo Atlanta, Georgia, US
ResidenceChengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan, China

Mei Lan (simplified Chinese: 美兰; traditional Chinese: 美蘭, lit.'American orchid; beautiful orchid'; born September 6, 2006) is a male giant panda born at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, after his mother's, Lun Lun, record-setting 35-hour labor.[1] Originally identified by zoo staffers as female, Mei Lan was determined to be male by staff in China at the Chengdu Research Base of Panda Breeding.[2] He is the first offspring of Lun Lun and Yang Yang, who are also the parents of Xi Lan, Po, and two pairs of twins, namely Mei Lun and Mei Huan, and Ya Lun and Xi Lun. Mei Lan was relocated to Chengdu, China on February 4, 2010.

Naming

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Mei Lan was named at a naming ceremony held on December 15, 2006, following the Chinese tradition of naming panda cubs when they are about 100 days old.[3]

Mei Lan, which translates as "American orchid" or "beautiful orchid", was submitted by WSB-TV, the Atlanta ABC affiliate. The name was chosen from a public online poll on ajc.com after it won 22% of the votes.[3] Many of the names in the poll contain the words "beautiful", "orchid", "peach" or "moon" that are often given to girls in China, because Mei Lan was originally identified as female.

Finalist names in the panda cub naming poll
Name Chinese Meaning Submitter
Chang Jiang 长江; 長江 Yangtze River Other
Cheng Ya 成娅; 成婭 pretty Atlanta girl from Chengdu Zoo staff member
Mei Lan 美兰; 美蘭 beautiful peach WSB-TV (ABC)
Mei Li 美丽; 美麗 beautiful WAGA-TV (Fox)
Mei Tao 美桃 beautiful peach WGCL-TV (CBS)
Ming Xing 明星 bright star WXIA-TV (NBC)
Ming Yue 明月 bright moon Zoo staff member
Ping Bao 平宝 precious treasure AJC
Tai Ji 太极 Tai chi Other
Xiao Tao 小桃 little peach Panda Express

Repatriation

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Mei Lan, similar other zoo-born giant pandas in the United States, contractually belongs to China. He left for China on February 4, 2010, on the same flight as Tai Shan from the National Zoo in Washington D.C.[4][5] He currently resides at the Chengdu Panda Base, where both his parents were born.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Fanning, Karen. "Special Delivery: Atlanta zoo welcomes panda cub". Scholastic News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  2. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa. "It's a hairy tale: Mei Lan is a fella". ajc.com.
  3. ^ a b Alexander, Sheridan. "Mei Lan - Giant Panda Cub at the Atlanta Zoo". About.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  4. ^ "Zoo Atlanta's Mei Lan Prepares to Leave for China Departure". Zoo Atlanta. January 28, 2010. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  5. ^ "And She's Off!". Zoo Atlanta. February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  6. ^ "American Panda Gets Chinese Lesson". cbsnew.com. February 3, 2010.
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