Finnish Zoo to Return Costly Pandas Early

A Finnish zoo has decided to send back a pair of giant pandas to China years ahead of schedule. The Ähtäri Zoo announced that the pandas, Lumi and Pyry, will return to China due to financial strains, exacerbated by a dwindling number of visitors. The decision comes as the zoo battles consequences related to the coronavirus pandemic, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and economic inflation.

Lumi and Pyry were part of a 15-year loan agreement signed in 2017, meant to celebrate Finland's centennial of independence. The pandas arrived in January 2018. Despite investments like the $9 million Panda House, the zoo has struggled to lure enough tourists and has found maintaining the pandas too costly, with annual expenses reaching more than $1.6 million. Measures, including Chinese embassy efforts, have failed to mitigate the zoo's financial woes.

The pandas will be shipped back after a month-long quarantine starting in late October. The zoo's struggle underscores the broader economic challenges faced globally. Finland, which established diplomatic ties with China in 1950, was the first Nordic country to receive giant pandas as a goodwill gesture. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)