Investors back Ähtäri Zoo despite uncertain future

Ähtäri Zoo’s first summer under new ownership is over, but its future remains uncertain, Yle reports. The park’s operating director, Kristiina Peltomäki, says a decision will be made in November based on its financial figures.

Mesi Zoo was established in January 2026 after the previous zoo went bankrupt. The new company raised more than 500,000 euros in a share issue during late winter and spring.

Six investors who contributed at least 50,000 euros each hold more than 90 per cent of the company’s voting rights. The zoo had set a target of 80,000 visitors, but that figure will not be reached. Cash flow and cost control are now the key measures.

The zoo will remain open during the autumn holiday and for the autumn market. Its longer-term plans will be announced later in the autumn.

Operating director worked at the tills and cleaned toilets

Kristiina and Tapio Peltomäki, the company’s anchor investors, put 150,000 euros into the zoo. Kristiina Peltomäki said she had not expected to work so directly in the park’s daily operations.

During the summer, she worked at the tills, sold products, cleaned toilets and walked around the park checking bins. The zoo started with a small staff, and Peltomäki said she needed to take part in the daily work to understand how its processes operated and where the money was going.

Despite the workload, her enthusiasm has grown. She said she had developed a deeper understanding of why the zoo was important and why it could not be allowed to disappear.

Investors say marketing will be crucial

Two of the main shareholders who helped save the park are entrepreneurs from Ähtäri. Eero Johde, a retired boat entrepreneur who now runs an accommodation business in Ähtäri, said people come to the town because of the zoo.

Johde believes in the zoo’s future and its potential to generate returns, but said Ähtäri’s wellbeing was the most important consideration. He sees the zoo as a family-oriented marketing destination.

He said new animals and offspring would increase interest, but effective marketing was needed to ensure that people found their way to the park. Johde also said many people might still believe the zoo was closed.

Pasi Poukka, a long-serving entrepreneur from Ähtäri, invested because of the zoo’s importance to the town’s vitality. He said he did not even expect a return on his investment, noting that Ähtäri was known for its zoo and that the attraction needed to survive.

Poukka described the first year as a training year for the new company. He said he was hopeful about the zoo’s future under entrepreneur-led management.

Tuomo Kinnunen, who runs a beef cattle farm in Reisjärvi, had no previous ties to Ähtäri before investing. He had visited the zoo several times, and said his decision was driven by an interest in business and investing, as well as a love of animals and a desire to keep the park operating for future generations. He also hopes for a return over time, with modest expectations.