Ähtäri Zoo in Finland will return two giant pandas to China eight years early due to high maintenance costs and declining visitors. The pandas, Lumi and Pyry, were a gift for Finland’s 100th independence anniversary in 2017 and were supposed to stay until 2033. Challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and economic issues have strained the zoo’s finances. Despite efforts from the Chinese Embassy to assist, the zoo couldn’t sustain the costs. The pandas will enter quarantine in October before returning to China.