China, November 2013 – Travel Notes

Pandas International’s assistant director, Andrea Muller, and social media coordinator, Tanja Butler-Melone, traveled to China in November 2013 to tour the CCRCGP facilities, meet with staff and researchers, and visit the pandas – making special note of those available for adoption through PI and the Wolong Panda Club.

Having flown into Chengdu, we began our travels with a quick trip to see Mei Lan.  Born at Zoo Atlanta on September 6, 2009, Mei Lan was the first panda born to parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang.  Originally identified by the zoo as a female, Mei Lan was discovered to be a male after his return to China in February 2010.

During our visit, Mei Lan was happily munching on his bamboo breakfast, pausing only long enough to switch positions.

Mei Lan will be joined soon by brothers Xi Lan (age 5) and Po (age 3) who are scheduled to depart for China within the next few months. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about their travel schedule.

Meanwhile, the youngest members of the family – twin boys Mei Lun and Mei Huan, born earlier this summer – continue to delight fans around the world.  They should be making their public debut soon as they have recently begun walking – the prerequisite to joining mom, Lun Lun, in the public habitat.