Atlanta Zoo
The Atlanta Zoo is operated by the Zoo and Aquarium Society and is a major attraction in Atlanta . The zoo covers 16 hectares and was founded in 1889 . It is located in Grantpark Atlantas and attracts around one million visitors every year. The animal population consists of 250 species and around 1,000 animals from all over the world.
The keeping of a pair of giant pandas , Lun Lun and Yang Yang , on loan from the Chengdu Zoo in the People's Republic of China until 2009 is remarkable . After artificial insemination, Lun Lun gave birth to a baby female panda on September 6, 2006 at 4:51 pm at the age of nine. The baby was "baptized" in a solemn ceremony on December 15, 2006, 100 days after birth according to Chinese tradition, with the name "Mei Lan" ("Atlanta Beauty"). On September 3, 2016 at 7:20 a.m. and 8:07 a.m., Lun Lun gave birth to twins. These were baptized on December 12, 2016 with the names Ya Lun and Xi Lun.
Built for $ 4.5 million, the Ford African Rain Forest is home to 23 western lowland gorillas , the second largest group of animals on display in North America . The zoo was also home to a famous male gorilla named Willie B. , named after a former mayor of Atlanta, William B. Hartsfield (Hartsfield International Airport was named after him). One of Willie B's daughters recently had twins , which is extremely rare in gorillas.
Atlanta Zoo is a member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) , a conservation and breeding program that the zoo uses to try to save the red panda and Sumatran tiger from extinction. Other significant animals in the park include Sumatran orangutans , black rhinos , African elephants, and Komodo dragons . The petting zoo mainly allows children to maintain close contact with pets .
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Coordinates: 33 ° 43 ′ 56 " N , 84 ° 22 ′ 17" W.