Zoo has to remove 2 giant pandas due to lack of visitors.

Lumi, the beloved female panda, could hardly contain her excitement as she frolicked in the freshly fallen snow at the Finnish zoo she had called home for the past few years. However, her joy was short-lived as news broke that she and her male companion, Pyry, would be leaving their cozy habitat and returning to their homeland of China much earlier than anticipated. It seemed that the zoo was facing financial struggles and could no longer afford to care for the two pandas.

The Ahtari Zoo, located in central Finland, had proudly welcomed Lumi and Pyry in 2018 as a gift from China to commemorate Finland's 100 years of independence. The plan was for the pandas to be on loan until 2033, but unforeseen challenges had arisen for the zoo. The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 had led to a decline in visitors, and with inflation and interest rates on the rise, the cost of maintaining the pandas had become too much for the facility to bear.

The agreement between Helsinki and Beijing had been finalized during a visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2017. The zoo had even constructed a special panda annex in hopes of attracting more tourists to the remote nature reserve. However, the annual cost of caring for Lumi and Pyry, including a preservation fee to China, amounted to 1.5 million euros. This was a significant burden for the small zoo, which had to fly in bamboo for the pandas all the way from the Netherlands.

Despite the Chinese embassy's efforts to assist the zoo in overcoming its financial struggles, the declining visitor numbers and changing economic climate proved to be insurmountable obstacles. As a result, Lumi and Pyry would be entering a month-long quarantine before being returned to their home in China in late October.

Finland, a country known for its close political ties with China, was among the first Western nations to establish diplomatic relations with the country. China has often gifted giant pandas to other countries as a symbol of goodwill and strengthened relationships, and Finland was the first Nordic nation to receive such a gift.

As Lumi and Pyry said their goodbyes to their Finnish caretakers, they knew that they had brought joy to many during their time at the Ahtari Zoo. And while they were sad to leave, they were excited to return to their native land and continue to serve as ambassadors for the important bond between Finland and China.

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