The Ahtari Zoo in Finland is returning giant pandas that arrived in the country after an agreement made with China during President Xi Jinping visit
A zoo in Finland is returning two giant pandas back to China after struggling to keep up with the high cost of maintenance.
According to a report in Euronews on Monday, January 31, the pandas were brought to Finland after an agreement was made to send then from China following a visit to the country by President Xi Jinping in 2017.
The pandas were then loaned to Ahtari Zoo in 2018 after an agreement was made for species protection between the two countries.
The zoo, which is privately owned, had kept the two pandas at their facility hoping to attract local crowds to make revenue.
But the costs of their maintenance started rising after the COVID-19 restrictions were imposed, resulting in reducing the number of visitors.
A support estimated to be worth €200,000 was also provided to the zoo by the Finish government in 2021, but another proposal for €5 million was rejected last week.
The zoo has also been paying an annual fee to China for the animals, which as per the report is estimated to be around €1 million.
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