And a loan of pandas to the Atlanta Zoo will go ahead because a contract has been signed and an import permit granted, she said Wednesday.

Three years ago the Atlanta Zoo was considered among the 10 worst in the nation.

LEAD: Zebras at the Atlanta Zoo doing their best to blend in with trees coated as light snow fell early yesterday.

In 1985, he was involved in privatizing the Atlanta Zoo, which was renamed Zoo Atlanta.

In 1990, he sent nearly half of his $67,000 in honorariums from speeches to the Atlanta Zoo.

Last year, he sent $15,000 to the Atlanta Zoo to buy a pair of rare Komodo dragons.

The interview was conducted last Friday, in front of the tiger area at the Atlanta Zoo.

Summerhill is a neighborhood directly south of Downtown Atlanta between the Atlanta Zoo and Turner Field.

Three years ago the Atlanta Zoo, as it was called, was considered among the worst in the nation.

A statue was erected in their memory at Atlanta Zoo.