Finland will return two giant pandas, Lumi and Pyry, to China in November, eight years ahead of schedule, CNN reports.
The decision, announced by Ahtari Zoo, the pandas’ home, comes as the zoo grapples with mounting financial difficulties.
The pandas arrived in Finland in January 2018 as part of a 15-year agreement signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the country. The agreement aimed to strengthen ties and promote panda conservation.
However, Ahtari Zoo, a private company, has faced challenges in maintaining the pandas. The facility, which cost over €8 million to build, incurs annual expenses of €1.5 million, including a preservation fee paid to China. The zoo had hoped the pandas would attract visitors, but the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation have strained its finances.
Despite seeking state funding and negotiations with China, the zoo ultimately concluded that returning the pandas was the best course of action.
“Now we reached a point where the Chinese said it could be done,” said Ahtari Zoo Chair Risto Sivonen.
The Finnish government, while expressing regret, has maintained that the decision was solely a business decision made by the zoo and will not impact relations between the two countries.
The Chinese embassy in Helsinki, in a statement, emphasized that the return was a joint decision made after friendly consultations.
Lumi and Pyry will undergo a month-long quarantine before being shipped back to China.
