Finland will return two giant pandas to China this November, years ahead of the initially agreed-upon timeline, due to financial strain, according to the chair of the zoo’s board. The pandas, Lumi and Pyry, arrived in Finland in January 2018 following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Nordic country. The visit resulted in a joint agreement focused on protecting the species.
Originally, the pandas were set to stay for 15 years as part of a broader effort by China to use panda diplomacy to enhance trade ties, solidify international relationships, and promote its global image. However, Ahtari Zoo, their current home, will place the pandas in a month-long quarantine before shipping them back to China.
The zoo, a private company, had invested over 8 million euros ($8.92 million) in creating the pandas’ habitat and faced an additional 1.5 million euros in annual costs for upkeep, which included a preservation fee paid to China. Hoping the pandas would attract more visitors, the zoo instead faced rising debts, exacerbated by the pandemic’s impact on travel.
“Now we reached a point where the Chinese said it could be done,” explained Ahtari Chair Risto Sivonen, referring to the conclusion of three years of negotiations to return the pandas.
In 2023, Finland’s government rejected the zoo’s plea for state funding, and rising inflation further worsened the financial situation. Despite China’s attempts to assist, both countries amicably agreed that returning the pandas was the best course of action, as confirmed by the Chinese embassy in Helsinki.
This decision was purely a business move made by the zoo and will not affect diplomatic relations between Finland and China, according to a spokesperson from Finland’s foreign ministry.