In January 2018, Lumi and Pyry uprooted their lives by moving from their native China to embark on a new life in Finland. At first it seemed like things were going to work out for the pair: they’d secured a $9 million home for 15 years, along with an annual income of about $1.675 million. And all they had to do was lie around all day and be doted on! Did I mention Lumi and Pyry are giant pandas? They are indeed Ailuropoda melanoleuca, and they were loaned by the Chinese government to Ahtaria, a private Finnish zoo. This kind of exchange — bears for good foreign relations — is part of China’s infamous “panda diplomacy.” But sadly, in this case, the cost of caretaking for the giant pandas proved to be too large for Ahtaria Zoo. Lumi and Pyry will begin a month of quarantine before they begin the long voyage home.
Finland will return two giant pandas to China in November, more than eight years ahead of time, as the zoo where they live can no longer afford their upkeep, the chair of the zoo’s board told Reuters on Tuesday.
The pandas, named Lumi and Pyry, were brought to Finland in January 2018, months after Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited the Nordic country and signed a joint agreement on protecting the animals.
Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has sent pandas to foreign zoos to strengthen trading ties, cement foreign relations and boost its international image.
The Finnish agreement was for a stay of 15 years, but instead the pandas will soon go into a month-long quarantine before they are shipped back to China, according to Ahtaria Zoo, the pandas’ current home.
The zoo, a private company, had invested over 8 million euros (about $9 million) in the facility where the animals live and faced annual costs of 1.5 million euros for their upkeep, including a preservation fee paid to China, Ahtaria Chair Risto Sivonen said.
The zoo had hoped the pandas would attract visitors to the central Finland
location but last year said it had instead accumulated mounting debts as the pandemic curbed travel, and that it was discussing a return.Rising inflation had added to the costs, the zoo said, and Finland’s government in 2023 rejected pleas for state funding.
In all, negotiations to return the animals had lasted three years, Sivonen said.
“Now we reached a point where the Chinese said it could be done,” Sivonen said.
The return of the pandas was a business decision made by the zoo which did not involve Finland’s government and should not impact relations between the two countries, a spokesperson for Finland’s foreign ministry said.
Despite efforts by China to aid the zoo, the two countries in the end jointly concluded after friendly consultations to return the pandas, the Chinese embassy in Helsinki said in a statement to Reuters.
Inflation affects everything — even pandas! I just want to make something very clear to Lumi and Pyry: it’s not your fault. No, listen to me! It’s. Not. Your. Fault! You have each served your country and your species to the greatest of your ability in your impactful, if brief, tenure as national ambassadors. And you absolutely shouldn’t in any way feel you bear responsibility for whatever geopolitical relations fall to pieces or trade war calamities ensue following the early and abrupt end of your mission. Both countries knew the risks involved when negotiating this transaction; if they can’t handle the fallout, then that’s on them. So to whoever will be receiving Lumi and Pyry upon their return, can we please get some regular, photographic updates on the floofs? To make sure they’re reacclimating and happy not hanging on to any shame?
And a quick update from our last coverage on panda diplomacy: Yun Chuan and Xin Bao made it safely to from China to San Diego, California and are living their best lives at the Zoo’s Panda Ridge. Of course in light of this Finnish news, the real test will be to check on them in about seven years from now…
The Netherlands was supplying this zoo with bamboo, since it doesn’t grow well enough (climate) in Finland. The cost of bamboo has also risen as well as the shipping costs.
The Chinese companies active in Finland were encouraged to donate money to help the zoo and its pandas—that’s part of what they meant by China’s efforts to help in the article. Everyone here really tried to make it work, but it was just too expensive.
I have no idea why this makes me so sad!
I love your writing style, wit and the topics you write about, kismet 🙂 Just finished reading the pesto one as well. “ i’m just waiting to fledge” BAHAHA!
I don’t think people realize how expensive it can be to maintain BW roly-polys and their constant diet of bamboo. I am sorry that this didn’t workout for the Finnish zoo, but more concern about the welfare of these two lovelies and hopefully they have a safe return back to their homeland.
One of the problems this zoo faced is that it’s in the middle of nowhere.
Most tourists to Finland don’t venture much beyond Helsinki, and if they do, it’s usually within the triangle of Helsinki, Tampere, Turku.
Or, if they go north, they will go a lot further north than Ähtäri, to e.g. Oulu, Rovaniemi, or Kittilä.
Fingers crossed for the pandas for safe travels back to China.
Every business that fails blames Covid lockdown even though that was four years ago now! Looking at the town on the map it does seem to be kind of off the beaten path in a rural area. Maybe pandas just aren’t the draw they used to be?
@chaine while it may be that pandas aren’t a draw any more, the fact is that many businesses are still dealing with a legacy of debt that was taken on during the pandemic, especially with months of no revenue or very reduced revenue. It becomes much harder to manage at the current interest rates as well.
I can’t speak to the financials of this Zoo but it is true that some business owners and businesses are still dealing with the legacy of the pandemic.
I see your point. Still, there have to be some percentage whose failure is just due to poor business decisions, and this zoo seems like one of them.
OMG, it takes a long time to recover from a pandemic! All systems got affected, health, welfare, economic, transportation, education, psychological, society, community, etc.
Anyone else bothered by these pandas just being shipped here and there, all over the world, separated from parents and keepers who raised them? Just so China can gain some good will? They might be cute and the exclusive property of China but they shouldn’t passed around like poker chips on a game table.
I agree. And why would anyone travel and pay to see them in a glass box.
Yes – DC sent the pandas back to China last year, including the cub who was born here. Luckily we’re getting another pair but it seemed pretty cruel all around.
Pandas are very independent and don’t have a family unit like other animals. I take greater issue with F1 cars and horses being flown all around the world for sports
Imagine if a brown or black bear ever met up with a panda? I know that they would be fascinated by the fact that pandas can only eat bamboo and have zero survival instincts.
This seems like unmined territory for an Animal Planet special, complete with CGI pandas and bears interacting
Mm, well, they’re a different genus & species, so I’m thinking it wouldn’t go well for the panda.
The pandemic has had a financial snowball effect on many of us, personally and professionally.
Anyone who was bailing water during the pandemic and didn’t get PPP loans took on loans with higher interest rates.
Compound that with the ever rising cost of living and ever shrinking wages or profits and here we are, still struggling a few years later.
If it didn’t financially devastate you or your business you’re one of the fortunate ones!
The zoo is in Ähtäri, and the zoo is called Ähtäri Zoo. Just a FYI from a Finnish reader, whos been reading since 2006.