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…