Ähtäri Zoo
| Ähtäri Zoo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Snowpanda House of Ähtäri Zoo, March 2018 | |
 | |
| 62°32′20″N 024°10′34″E / 62.53889°N 24.17611°E | |
| Date opened | 1973[1] |
| Location | Ähtäri, Finland |
| Land area | 60 hectares (150 acres)[1] |
| No. of animals | 300[1] |
| No. of species | 60+[1] |
| Memberships | EAZA[2] |
| Website | www |
Ähtäri Zoo is a 60-hectare (150-acre) zoo in Ähtäri, Finland that was opened in 1973. It is the second largest zoo in Finland, and is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
History
[edit]Köpi the moose was the first animal at the zoo. After several years, wolves and lynxes were added. However the zoo's most famous residents are probably the bears, Santeri and his mate Santra, who have lived at the zoo almost since its founding. In 2003 the Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki gifted snow leopards to Ähtäri Zoo for their 30th anniversary. By 2006 there were 65 animals, mostly from the coniferous zone.[1]
Since its establishment, one goal of the Ähtäri Zoo has been to create natural living conditions for the animals. The 60-hectare (150-acre) area, in which the terrain and vegetation vary widely, has provided excellent opportunities to implement EAZAs basic ideas about how to treat animals in captivity. In addition, the zoo tries to increase knowledge of species and nature, and to share educational information with the public.[1]
During President of China Xi Jinping's visit to Finland on April 5, 2017, China and Finland signed an agreement on bilateral cooperation in areas such as cooperative research on giant pandas, agreeing to lease a pair of giant pandas to Finland for a period of 15 years. Arriving to Finland at the end of 2017, the pandas are anticipated to live at the Ähtäri Zoo. For this purpose the zoo will spend 8 million euros to build the panda house.[3] Arriving at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on January 18, 2018, the male and female giant panda were subsequently driven to the Ähtäri Zoo, roughly 300 kilometers north of Helsinki.[4] In 2024, Ähtäri Zoo decided to return these two giant pandas to China eight years early, saying it can no longer afford to look after them.[5]
Animals
[edit].jpg)
Animals at the zoo include snow leopards, wolves, bears, wolverines, lynx, foxes, otters, beavers, European bison, wild boar, roe deer, fallow deer, reindeer, white-tailed deer, snowy owls, eagle owls, and waterfowl.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Ähtäri Zoo". ahtarinelainpuisto.fi. Ähtäri Zoo. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ "EAZA Member Zoos & Aquariums". eaza.net. EAZA. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ "世界那么大，"熊猫特使"都去了哪里？". 中国新闻网_梳理天下新闻 (in Chinese). 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "中国大熊猫"华豹"和"金宝宝"顺利运抵芬兰-新华网". 新华网_让新闻离你更近 (in Chinese). 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Finland zoo returns pandas to China early due to cost". BBC Home. 2024-09-25. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ "Ähtäri Zoo Map". ahtarinelainpuisto.fi. Ähtäri Zoo. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Ähtäri Zoo at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
