Pandas receive extended farewell at Ähtäri zoo in Finland

In Ähtäri, Finland, visitors will have the opportunity to see the pandas for an additional day, extending the farewell week through the following Monday. The decision was made in response to requests from autumn holiday travelers, as not all regions of Finland share the same holiday schedule. “We received quite a few calls from places like Pori, asking if they could see the pandas during their holiday, so we decided to extend the panda house’s opening hours,” explained the zoo’s CEO, Arja Väliaho. The autumn break starts for regions such as Oulu, Mikkeli, and Lahti on October 21, and the panda house will close permanently on October 22. This will be followed by a month-long quarantine for the pandas.

Despite being outside of regular school break periods, the announcement of the pandas’ return to China has led to a surge in visitors to the zoo. “The influx has been intense, even the rain hasn’t significantly deterred attendees. Many have seen the pandas multiple times over the years, but there are also those who want to see them for the first time while they still can.” On weekends, attendance has reached as high as 2,000 visitors per day, marking record numbers for this time of year.

Special programs, including a popular evening adventure where visitors can tour the zoo with flashlights, are planned throughout the farewell week. The pandas have been temporarily housed at the Ähtäri zoo since 2018 and are set to return to China later this year. The media attention extends beyond Finnish borders, with many expressing sympathy and understanding for the decision to send the pandas back.