Finland Zoo to Return Giant Pandas to China Due to High Costs

(“Giant Panda”) 

Finland’s Ahtrari Zoo has announced it will return two giant pandas, Lumi and Pyry, to China in November, nearly eight years earlier than planned. The decision comes after the zoo struggles to cover the high costs of maintaining the pandas, despite hopes they would boost tourism and revenue. 

Lumi and Pyry, who arrived in Finland in 2018 following a joint agreement between Finland and China, were part of China’s longstanding practice of loaning pandas to foreign zoos as a diplomatic gesture. The agreement originally intended for the pandas to stay for 15 years, but financial strains, including a yearly upkeep cost of 1.5 million euros and rising inflation, have forced the zoo to cut their stay short. 

The pandemic further exacerbated the zoo’s financial woes, curbing travel and reducing visitor numbers. Despite attempts to secure government funding and negotiations with China spanning three years, Ahtrari Zoo decided to send the pandas back. The pandas will undergo a month-long quarantine before returning to China, with Finnish officials assuring the decision won’t affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

Work Cited: 

“Giant Panda.” Zoo-Berlin.de, Zoo-Berlin, 2017, www.zoo-berlin.de/en/artenschutz/weltweit/giant-panda. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024. 

News, BBC. “Finland Zoo Returns Pandas to China Early due to Cost.” Bbc.com, BBC News, 25 Sept. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0z289ervmo. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024. 

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24, France. “Finnish Zoo to Return Pandas to China Early.” France 24, FRANCE 24, 25 Sept. 2024, www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240925-finnish-zoo-to-return-pandas-to-china-early. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024. 

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RFI. “Finnish Zoo to Return Pandas to China Early.” RFI, RFI, 25 Sept. 2024, www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20240925-finnish-zoo-to-return-pandas-to-china-early. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024. 

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“Why a Zoo in Finland Is Returning Two Giant Pandas to China.” The Independent, 25 Sept. 2024, www.independent.co.uk/asia/china/panda-finland-zoo-ahtari-china-b2618490.html. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024. 

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