Panda’s new home takes adjusting

We hear from Zoo Atlanta that Mei Lan, the zoo’s 3-year-old giant panda who moved to China last week, has been having a rough time in her new home. The first couple of days, keeper Heather Roberts reported that the panda didn’t eat much and was easily startled by sounds around her.

But there are signs that she’s starting to adapt to her new surroundings at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Zoo Atlanta Curator of Mammals Rebecca Snyder has a poignant message for Mei Lan’s fans on the zoo’s Farewell Mei Lan page (where you can also see blog posts chronicling her birth and three years at the zoo):

I am sure that Mei Lan’s fans are worried about her and that it’s difficult to read that she is not entirely at ease in her new home. Of course, we would all have liked to see Mei Lan adjust immediately to her new home as though nothing had changed. But that would not be a normal reaction and we did not expect her to adjust immediately.

Traveling to China is a big change. It’s a long journey, there is a 12 hour time change, the food is different, the language is different, the sights and smells are different. It takes a person at least a few days to adjust to that. So, we should expect it to take Mei Lan some time to adjust as well. Most people prefer to travel with a friend, rather than alone, because all those changes can be stressful and it’s comforting to have a friend along. We sent Heather with Mei Lan to be her friend and to help her with the changes. We also sent one of our veterinarians, Dr. Sam Rivera, to Chengdu to make sure Mei Lan remains healthy. She is healthy and she will adjust, but it’s going to take a little time.