Finnish zoo to return pandas to China early due to financial woes

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - A zoo in Finland has reached an agreement with Chinese officials to return two giant pandas to China nine years earlier than planned due to a significant drop in visitor numbers that has made their care too expensive.

According to local media, Ahtari Zoo, located about 330 kilometers (205 miles) north of the capital Helsinki in central Finland, announced on its Facebook page that the pandas, named Lumi and Pyry, will be returning to China later this year.

The pandas were a gift from China to celebrate Finland's 100th anniversary of independence in 2017, with plans for them to remain in the country until 2033.

The Chinese Embassy in Helsinki said they are trying to help the zoo address its financial difficulties, directing Chinese companies operating in Finland to make donations to the zoo and supporting debt restructuring efforts.

However, the zoo has faced a decline in visitors due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the subsequent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, leading to various financial challenges, including rising inflation and interest rates.

In April 2017, during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet with then-Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, a 15-year agreement was signed between Helsinki and Beijing which allowed the pandas to arrive in Finland in January 2018.

To attract more tourists, the zoo built a special living area for the pandas at a cost of €8 million ($8.9 million). The annual cost of caring for Lumi and Pyry, including the protection fee paid to China, is about €1.5 million, with the bamboo they eat being flown in from the Netherlands.

Before being sent back to China, the pandas will undergo a month-long quarantine at the end of October.