Finland’s Ahtari Zoo will be sending two giant pandas, Lumi and Pyry, back to China in November, a decision made eight years ahead of the original agreement. The zoo, a private entity, has been struggling financially and can no longer afford the hefty cost of caring for the beloved animals.
Lumi and Pyry arrived in Finland in January 2018, following a visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping and a joint agreement to protect pandas. The pandas were initially set to stay for 15 years, but the zoo’s financial reality has forced an early departure.
Ahtari invested over 8 million euros (approximately $8.92 million) in creating a suitable habitat for the pandas. However, the annual costs of their upkeep, including a mandatory preservation fee paid to China, reached 1.5 million euros. Despite hopes that the pandas would draw in visitors to the zoo in central Finland, the pandemic severely impacted tourism, resulting in mounting debt for the zoo.
The zoo’s attempts to secure government funding were unsuccessful, and rising inflation further exacerbated their financial woes. After three years of negotiations, the zoo and the Chinese government reached a mutual agreement to return the pandas.
The return is purely a business decision made by the zoo and does not affect diplomatic relations between Finland and China. The Chinese embassy in Helsinki confirmed that both countries reached a friendly agreement after collaborative consultations. While China had offered support to the zoo, the financial burdens ultimately proved too great.
The pandas will undergo a month-long quarantine before being shipped back to China. Their departure marks a bittersweet end to their time in Finland, highlighting the complex challenges faced by zoos in balancing conservation efforts with financial realities.
