A zoo in Finland has agreed to send to loaned pandas back to China after the costs of keeping the critters have become too much.
According to the NY Post, declining visitors to the zoo have made the pandas unaffordable. As a result, the zoo has been forced to come to terms with Chinese authorities to send the critters back to their place of origin, more than 8 years ahead of schedule.
The zoo in question is a private zoo, located 205 miles north of Helsinki. The organization shared on Wednesday that both Lumi - a female panda - and Pyry - a male panda - would be sent back to China later this year. The pair of pandas were a gift to mark Finland's 100 years of independence, back in 2017. Originally, the pandas were supposed to be on loan until 2033. Increasing inflation and interest rates, coupled with declining visitors post-pandemic have resulted in financial uncertainty.
Finnish Zoo Set to Send Pandas Back to China
The loan agreement was originally finalized in April 2017, between Chinese President Xi Jingping and then-Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. The pandas arrived to Finland shortly thereafter, in January 2018. The zoo, which specializes in typical northern European animals, built a special Panda House annex for the critters. That annex alone cost around 8 million euros. Moreover, the upkeep of Lumi and Pyry cost the zoo another 1.5 million euros annually. The bamboo eaten by the critters ate was flown from the Netherlands.
Interestingly, the Chinese Embassy in Helinski made efforts to help the Finnish zoo keep the pandas. Namely, the embassy urged Chinese companies operating in Finland to donate to the zoo. Regardless of such efforts, the small organization was not able to overcome high costs and low visitors.
As far as next steps go, the pair of pandas will enter into a month-long quarantine in late October. After the quarantine, the pandas will be shipped back to China.
Finland was the first Nordic nation to receive pandas from China. Often, the critters are gifted from China as a sign of goodwill and a closer political ties. Regardless of the good intentions, the pandas stay in China will prove short-lived.
