In a noteworthy development, a zoo in Finland has made the decision to return two giant pandas to China, more than eight years ahead of their scheduled return date. This change comes as the Ähtäri Zoo, located about 330 kilometers (205 miles) north of Helsinki, has faced challenges, including rising maintenance costs and declining visitor numbers, which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The two pandas, a female named Lumi and a male named Pyry, whose names mean “snow” and “snowfall” in Finnish, respectively, were initially sent to Finland as a gift from China to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence in 2017. They were meant to stay on loan until 2033.
The return of Lumi and Pyry is set for later this year, after a month-long quarantine that will begin in late October, as the zoo prepares for their departure.
Established in April 2017 during a visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Finland, the panda loan was part of a 15-year agreement aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries. The pandas arrived in Finland in January 2018 amidst high hopes for attracting tourists to the area.
To accommodate their needs, Ähtäri Zoo constructed a special panda enclosure at a cost of approximately 8 million euros (around $9 million). Despite these efforts, the zoo reported annual upkeep expenses of about 1.5 million euros, which included a preservation fee to be paid to China. Bamboo, the primary diet of giant pandas, was sourced from the Netherlands and flown in to meet their dietary requirements.
The Chinese Embassy in Helsinki has indicated that efforts were made by Beijing to assist the zoo with financial challenges. These efforts included encouraging Chinese companies in Finland to make donations and supporting the zoo’s financial arrangements. However, the ongoing decline in visitation and a shifting economic landscape ultimately created challenges too significant for the relatively small facility to overcome.
Finland, a nation of approximately 5.6 million people, has a long-standing relationship with China, having established political ties as early as 1950. The gifting of giant pandas by China is regarded as a symbol of goodwill and is part of a broader tradition, with Finland proudly being the first Nordic country to host these beloved animals.
