Zoo Atlanta is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited wildlife park and major attraction in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The 40 acre (16 hectare) zoo, founded in 1889, is located in Atlanta's Grant Park and attracts around one million visitors a year. The Zoo features almost 1,000 animals representing 250 species from around the world. | | Among the Zoo's most notable holdings are three giant pandas, Lun Lun , Yang Yang, and Mei Lan, on loan from China's Chengdu Zoo until 2009. Lun Lun had been the focus of a captive-breeding program for seven years before finally giving birth to Mei Lan on September 6, 2006. | | The $4.5 million Ford African Rain Forest habitat is home to 24 western lowland gorillas, one of the two largest collections of the species in North America. The Zoo was also home to the popular Willie B., a gorilla named for former Mayor of Atlanta William B. Hartsfield (as was the Hartsfield International Airport). Recently, one of Willie. B.'s former mates gave birth to twins, a very rare occurrence among gorillas in general, and extremely rare in captive ones. | | Zoo Atlanta is a participant in the AZA's Species Survival Program with efforts for the red panda, and the Sumatran tiger - one of the most endangered animals in the world. Other significant animal exhibits include Sumatran orangutans, black rhinos, African elephants and a Komodo dragon. A petting zoo allows visitors to interact with several species of goats and sheep × 
