It's the hottest ticket in the nation and for a dozen lucky families it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/fuji/23275/ This weekend 12 families from across the country were treated to an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit with the new panda cub Tai Shan at the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. The families -- who are the first members of the general public to view Tai Shan prior to the cub's official debut December 8th -- were winners of the "Fujifilm Halloween Pandamonium Sweepstakes." Tickets to see Tai Shan have become a hot commodity. Some 13,000 free tickets were snapped up within two hours following their release November 21 on the National Zoo Web site. "We are delighted that these 12 lucky families were able to enjoy a visit with Tai Shan and his proud parents, and even more pleased to see the birth and development of Tai Shan generating such tremendous interest and media exposure," said Camilla Jenkins, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Fuji Photo Film USA. "The happy events of the last several months have brought home as never before the importance of species preservation and environmental conservation, and Fujifilm looks forward to continuing to support this vital program as we all enjoy and learn more about these endangered and endearing creatures." A Fujifilm donation helped make it possible to bring the cub's parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, to the U.S. in 2000, on loan from China. Last July, Mei Xiang gave birth to Tai Shan and next year the panda family will take up residence in a newly constructed Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat. The Fujifilm Halloween Pandamonium Sweepstakes was launched nationwide on October 3, 2005, at http://www.fujifilm.com/zoo, and gained visibility at Halloween events hosted by zoos across the country where Fujifilm had a key presence. The zoos included the Bronx and Central Park Zoos in New York City; Brookfield Zoo in Chicago; Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden; Detroit Zoological Park; Denver Zoological Gardens; Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens; Memphis Zoo; Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC; Oregon Zoo in Portland; and the San Francisco Zoological Gardens. All participating zoos had an official Fujifilm Halloween Pandamonium booth on site where trick-or-treaters could have their pictures taken with a Fujifilm panda mascot and receive cool panda trading cards full of interesting giant panda facts, as well as sweepstakes information. The Fujifilm booth included educational material about the giant panda, an endangered species with an estimated wild population of only about 1,660, all in China. Sweepstakes winners received an all-expenses paid trip for four to Washington, including roundtrip airfare and two nights' hotel accommodations. To capture memories of their visit with the panda cub, winners also received a Fujifilm FinePix E900 digital camera. About Fujifilm Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is a subsidiary of Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and delivers technology solutions to meet the imaging and information needs of retailers, consumers, professionals and business customers. As a global leader in digital imaging, Fujifilm pioneered the development of digital medical systems, and today is the leader in digital minilab systems. The company was ranked number 15 for U.S. patents granted during 2004, employs more than 75,000 people worldwide and in the year ending March 31, 2005, had global revenues of more than $23.6 billion. In the United States, Fujifilm is a leader in delivering high quality, easy-to-use imaging and information solutions in the following categories: Digital Imaging Systems, Film and Imaging Systems, Recording/Storage Media, Motion Picture Film, Graphic Arts and Printing Systems and Medical Imaging and Diagnostics Systems. Fujifilm is an environmentally friendly, humane enterprise and an exemplary corporate citizen. For more information on Fujifilm products, consumers can call 800-800-FUJI or access the Fujifilm USA Web site at http://www.fujifilm.com. Consumers also can receive news and information direct from Fujifilm USA via RSS. Subscription is free at http://www.fujifilm.com/rss.

Source: PR Newswire