ZooAtlanta Panda Cub to be named Monday

After more than three suspenseful weeks collecting ballots from over 45,000 excited voters, Zoo Atlanta will announce the new giant panda cub’s name on Monday, December 8, 2008, at his 100 Day Naming Celebration. Voting to name the 3-month-old bear opened on November 3 and closed on Wednesday, December 3.

Voters flocked to zooatlanta.org to make their selections from 12 names submitted by the Zoo Atlanta family and extended family. The contenders represent Zoo staff; Zoo Members; the Zoo’s MySpace community; residents of Chengdu, China; and five local radio stations. The most dedicated of the cub’s fans also voted in person, casting their ballots at 12 polling locations outside the Zoo’s Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center. The individual or organization responsible for submitting the winning name will win a private reception for 50 at Zoo Atlanta and an exclusive viewing of the cub.