The Ahtari Zoo in Finland has made a heartwrenching announcement with the early homecoming of their two giant pandas, Lumi and Pyry brought on by financial troubles. NPR reports that the sudden shift has raised worries about the zoo’s ‘panda diplomacy’ work and what it means for the iconic animals worldwide ambassadorial role.
The Early Exits of the Panda Pair
Lumi and Pyry, from Finland’s Ahtari Zoo, which has been home to the giant pandas since 2018, will soon reunite with their relatives in China. The decision marks the end of a loan less than halfway through its initially-projected 15-year period, and news of it has come as a shock to many fans.
Risto Sivonen, the chairman of the board at Ahtari Zoo involved in reversing his zoo’s pandas, said it was mainly due to their “extremely stressful economic situation”. The zoo- which had already been hit by lower visitor numbers amid COVID-19 pandemic — struggled with rising interest rates and inflation following Russia’s war in Ukraine. The estimated cost to maintain the pandas is around 1.5m euros per year, but the zoo says it can no longer spend money on them annually.
The pandas’ early departure represents a major setback in the zoo’s “panda diplomacy”, started during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Finland in 2017. The move to house the pandas was regarded as a coup which would strengthen relations between Finland and China further, but new economic realities mean that the zoo is now under pressure to look at reversing the position.
How ‘Panda Diplomacy’ Is Likely To Live On
The potential diplomatic ramifications are even greater because the return of Lumi and Pyry from China may reflect on the effectiveness “panda diplomacy,” where China lends out its iconic black and white ambassadors to other nations as a way of building friendships.
China has used its only bears as a tool of soft power for years, charming U.S. and Western audiences with the cuteness and cashing in on brief cultural exchanges that range from national symbols to logo bearglyphics. It is perhaps then something of a blow to this tactic, when an announcement is made that Finland intend to return the pair after just two years — sooner than had been agreed on by the Chinese government, and presumably not representing huge value for their high-maintenance (and generally very expensive arrangements) hosts.
The value of such cultural exchanges is well highlighted in the case of the panda; with 1860 wild animals and around 600 in captivity globally. Not only do countries by hosting pandas cooperate with recognition campaigns, but also they promote research and public education potential. It could also be detrimental for the larger narrative of panda diplomacy and the rise & rise of joint conservation efforts to save this bijliropil endangered species.
Conclusion
Finland’s much-loved giant pandas Lumi and Pyry returned home to China ahead of schedule this month due to financial difficulties, in the latest stumbling block for a high-profile ‘panda diplomacy’ deal. But the necessity, brought on by economic reality at the Ahtari Zoo itself, does prompt questions about a more fundamental question — what do these cultural exchange programs mean for global panda conservation?…a worldwide lesson in the constant struggle for equilibrium between economic reality and the survival itself of those living monuments to international cooperation which prompt us all to stop, listen, look — and wonder.
