Editor’s note: The video above is from previous coverage

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – After decades at Zoo Atlanta and months of goodbye celebrations, the zoo’s beloved giant panda family boarded a FedEx plane bound for China on Saturday morning.

Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun are headed to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. They were sent with three Zoo Atlanta employees, 300 pounds of bamboo, 10 pounds of fresh produce and 20 pounds of biscuits made for leaf-eating animals, the zoo said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Panda-Palooza’: Zoo Atlanta bidding farewell to giant pandas after 25 years

Lun Lun and Yang Yang have been at Zoo Atlanta since 1999. Born in 2016, Ya Lun and Xi Lun are twins and two of the pair’s seven children, the rest of which have already been sent to the research base.

In early 2024, the zoo announced the pandas would be sent back home after the loan agreement with China expired.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Zoo Atlanta’s giant pandas returning to China in late 2024, facility says

“While Zoo Atlanta will certainly miss Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun, and their departure is bittersweet, they have created a momentous legacy here in Atlanta and around the world, leaving their mark not only in the hearts of their friends and fans, but on the scientific and zoological communities’ understanding of the behavior, biology, and care of this rare and treasured species,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement. “It has been our privilege to be able to share this remarkable family with our members and guests for 25 years.”

Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.

Age: 32 years old (12th season)

Height, Weight: 6’11, 240 lbs

2023-24 Averages: 1.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game on 41.9%/33.3%/60.5% splits (43 games)

Career Averages: 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on 52%/22%/72.7% shooting splits (552 games)

Even if Atlanta ends up being his last stop, Cody Zeller has carved out quite an impressive career for himself.

The veteran big man has never been at the top of the league’s center rankings, but he finds ways to impact the game and be helpful for his team. Whether that’s giving full effort on the boards, finishing plays or setting hard screens, he has earned his keep as a respectable veteran player,.

However, it’s unlikely that he will be able to make much of an impact for the Hawks.

The Hawks are very deep at center. Capela, Nance and Okongwu are a very capable trio of big men who will not limit the Hawks from running anything. Neither are elite at any particular skillset, but they are all capable starters in their role. Zeller is clearly a step behind all three. He has lost some of the athleticism of his younger days to compete on defense. Furthermore, he is not much of a three-point shooter, so he cannot fall back on that skill to supplement some of his decline. Atlanta also signed free-agent center Tony Bradley to a new deal.

General manager Landry Fields was fairly candid in his assessment of Zeller’s role on the team in 2024-25. He said this at Media Day:

“It’s still an evaluation right now as it relates to our roster and how that’s going to shape up going into training camp. “We’re in talks with his camp. Just kind of seeing what that’s going to look like for the future.” 

Due to him not playing in the Hawks preseason opener vs Indiana, it seems pretty clear that Zeller is going to be released as part of a buyout. That being said, there is still a chance that the Hawks decide to hold onto him. Okongwu has not yet recovered from his toe injury and the Hawks are an injury to Nance or Capela away from really needing Zeller for the start of the regular season.

If he does stick around for the Hawks, I would expect Zeller to be a part-time player. He does not have the athleticism to hold up as a starting center in the NBA anymore, but he can put forth a solid effort in 10-15 minutes of action. He can be a solid roll man in pick-and-roll actions with Trae Young, which is probably his main pathway towards being a useful offensive player for Atlanta.

On defense, I’m very skeptical that he can offer more than his size at this stage in his career. He’s 6’11 and the tallest person on the roster for the Hawks, but I am not sure if that can translate into real defensive impact.

Best-Case Scenario: Zeller steps into the backup role due to injuries and fits as a helpful veteran presence for Atlanta. He competes hard on defense, sets good screens and hits the occasional three when the defense ignores him.

Worst-Case Scenario:  N/A since the most likely outcome is Zeller being bought out. The worst-case scenario might be that he sticks on the roster and has to play due to injuries, but is not very effective.

ATLANTA –  Hurricane Helene has caused a critical shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids in metro Atlanta, with at least one major hospital rationing supplies after receiving less than half of its usual shipment. 

Children’s Hospital of Atlanta reported that its most recent delivery included only 40 percent of its normal supply. The hospital has instructed doctors to conserve IV fluids as much as possible without risking patient safety, following damage to a Baxter manufacturing plant in North Carolina, which produces about 60 percent of the nation’s IV fluids. 

“Hurricane Helene hit supply levels hard, including here in Atlanta,” said Dr. Cecil Bennett of Newnan Family Medicine. “IV fluids are absolutely critical in an emergency situation.” 

The shortage has raised concerns among medical professionals, including Dr. Bennett, who fears the situation may worsen before improving. “People sometimes come in with severe dehydration and need IV fluids, suffering a heart attack or a stroke may have a low blood pressure and need immediate IV fluids,” he explained. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized shipments from overseas to help meet the demand. However, Dr. Bennett warns that smaller practices, like his own, may face further difficulties. “I may not be able to get them in my practice, because my supply has to go up to the emergency,” he said. 

Bennett also emphasized the need for the healthcare system to reconsider its approach to inventory management. “I really believe that the healthcare system needs to reevaluate, right now, inventory approach, because they’re going to be shortages of other critical drugs in the future when we have these disasters.” he said. 

In a memo to staff, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta stated that it expects another shipment from Baxter next week. Baxter has projected that it will return to 100 percent of its normal supply by the end of 2024, though it may take longer for national levels to recover. 

Dr. Bennett expressed hope that the current crisis serves as a wake-up call for the medical community. “I would predict that in the future, this is going to happen more than not and this should be a wake-up call that we should actually look at all drugs that are critical and make sure we have surplus and not continue with this right not inventory approach.”