Visitor numbers surge at Ähtäri Zoo ahead of giant pandas’ departure to China

Visitor numbers at Ähtäri Zoo have surged back to summer levels following the news of the departure of its giant pandas. According to the zoo’s managing director, Arja Väliaho, parking lots were nearly full over the past weekend, indicating a significant increase in visitor interest after the announcement.

“It’s clear to see that curiosity has risen since the news broke. We’re talking about visitor numbers that are multiples of the usual,” Väliaho stated. She noted that, thanks to the pandas, weekend visitor numbers exceeded a thousand people each day. Typically, at the end of September, daily attendance would only reach a few hundred.

“This is definitely not typical for us. These are summer numbers,” she emphasized. Väliaho refrained from speculating whether visitors had awakened to the appeal of the pandas a bit too late, stating, “There are still three weeks left to see the pandas in Ähtäri. Clearly, many still want to meet them.”

The final week will coincide with the autumn school holiday and will be celebrated as a farewell week for the pandas. Väliaho revealed that the zoo intends to honor the pandas’ nearly seven years in Ähtäri throughout the week. On the last Saturday, a Chinese performance group will also visit for the celebrations.

Last week, it was announced that the giant pandas, Lumi and Pyry, will return to their homeland in China ahead of schedule this year. The last opportunity for the public to see the pandas in Ähtäri will be on Sunday, October 20. After that date, the pandas will enter a quarantine period.