Today was the day of the long awaited 100-day naming ceremony of Zoo Atlanta's panda girl cub.  The name was determined through a public online poll sponsored by the Atlana Journal Constitution.  Voters had a list of 10 names that were suggested from various sources including Zoo Atlanta, local media and the people of China.  Mei Lan won with 22% of the vote.

"Mei Lan" means Atlanta Beauty.  Dennis Kelly, Zoo Atlanta President and CEO said "the name recognizes both her birthplace and her homeland. "   The naming ceremony was also attended by many Chinese dignataries who applauded Zoo Atlanta's commitment towards "conserving the species in the wild."

At her checkup yesterday, Mei Lan weighed in at 12 pounds and had taken her first steps.  You can expect to see her debut somewhere in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, Mei Lan can be viewed Monday- Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on panda cam :>