The World-Famous San Diego Zoo

In appreciation for the community's continued support of the giant panda conservation program, the San Diego Zoo is asking its visitors to become personally involved in the naming of the newborn giant panda cub. Guests to the Zoo's Giant Panda Research Station between Friday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 14 can suggest a name for the female cub.
"We would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their interest and support of giant pandas," said Douglas Myers, Zoological Society of San Diego chief executive officer. "Rallying together is the only way to save this critically endangered species and others like it. We cannot support conservation without the community."
After the 10-day period, the Zoo's giant panda team, comprised of keepers, veterinarians, scientists and others, will choose several names from those suggested by Zoo visitors based on certain criteria. The names should be in Chinese (pinyin), have an English translation, be symbolic in meaning and delivered in person to the Zoo.
The selected names will then be reviewed by the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association and those approved will be posted later this month on the Zoo's Web site at www.sandiegozoo.org for a final vote by the global community. Check the Zoo Web site for updates on when to vote online and to see the cub live through Panda Cam.
This is the first time the Zoo has given the public an opportunity to be heavily involved in the naming of a giant panda cub. In 1999, China named the first cub born at the San Diego Zoo Hua Mei "China USA". The Zoo's panda team named the cub born in 2003 Mei Sheng "born in the USA". While in 2005, a poll with five names was posted on the Zoo's Web site for a global vote. Su Lin "a little bit of something very cute" was the winning name.

The San Diego Zoo is beginning a journey through time, highlighting animals of the past, the present and the future in The Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey. The 7-acre habitat will feature relatives of animal species that dotted the Southern California landscape more than 10,000 years ago such as elephants, lions and wild horses.

In addition to highlighting conservation efforts, the $44-million Elephant Odyssey will feature naturalistic habitats, life-size replicas of prehistoric animals such as mammoths as well as a fossil dig for children. Groundbreaking for the multi-species habitat has begun with completion expected in the spring of 2009.

Guests to the San Diego Zoo become immersed in lush, tropical environments such as Tiger River, Gorilla Tropics and Ituri Forest. In these naturalistic habitats visitors will find a wide array of plants and animals native to various regions of the world, such as the elusive okapi found deep in Central Africa's Ituri region, along with hippos, otters and primates. In other areas of the Zoo, guests may come face-to-face with gorillas, bears, big cats and more.

The Zoo's collection was created from a scattering of specimens that remained in Balboa Park at the close of the 1915-1916 Panama-California International Exposition. The not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego was incorporated on Oct. 2, 1916, by a local surgeon, Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth, and friends. The Zoo has been in its present location in Balboa Park since 1922. For years, Dr. Wegeforth traveled around the country and the world finding animals and plants, and building good business relations with other zoos. His mission was to create one of the country's most modern zoos. He served as president of the San Diego Zoo until his death in 1941. Belle J. Benchley was Dr. Wegeforth's "right arm" from the time she was hired in 1925. When he died in 1941, Benchley ran the Zoo for 12 more years - she was the first woman in history to hold such a position.