According to the 15-year panda diplomacy contract signed between China and Finland, the two "diplomatic envoys" brought to Finland in January 2018 are set to be returned to China eight years early, due to the inability to ensure the cost of raising them.
The two pandas, named Lumi and Pyry, currently live at the Ahtari Zoo. According to Ahtari Risto Sivonen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ahtari Zoo (Finland), the zoo has invested 8.92 million USD to build a habitat for the pandas and spends 1.67 million USD each year to raise them, including conservation fees paid to China. The Ahtari Zoo's management hopes that the pandas will attract a large number of tourists.
However, after the COVID-19 crisis, due to the economic burden, Ahtari Zoo discussed returning the two pandas if they could not guarantee the cost of raising them. At that time, the zoo asked for government support but was accepted.
Mr. Sivonen said that to reach a consensus with China, the negotiations to return the pandas took nearly three years, and the pandas are expected to be returned to China in November.
Currently, the two pandas Lumi and Pyry are quarantined and will return to China after a month. Visitors can admire them until October 20. From October 21, the zoo will close the panda viewing area.
The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the return of the pandas was a private decision in the zoo's business cooperation, not related to the Finnish Government. This does not affect diplomatic relations between the two countries.
