Authorities in Hong Kong spent Rs 76 lakh ($90,028) earlier this year on a competition to rename two giant pandas, gifted by China, but ended up retaining the original names despite spending the huge sum. According to a report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the giant panda renaming competition started in October where the public was invited to come up with fresh names for “An An” and “Ke Ke” — the two bears, who arrived from Sichuan.

As per the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the taxpayer’s money was spent to build a website for the activity, recruit staff, post advertisements on internet and Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations in addition to offering prizes to the winners.

The winner of the competition was awarded prizes worth Rs 5.16 lakh which included a tourbillon watch, valued around Rs 4 lakh and membership and vouchers for Ocean Park where the pandas are kept. Despite offering the prizes, the judges, who did not take any pay for their services, announced that the pandas would keep their original names.

Quizzed about the wastage of funds, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said the authorities were not to know that the public would prefer keeping the original names.

Notably, the giant pandas in Hong Kong are usually named either after seeking suggestions from the public, or by keeping the names given to them while breastfeeding, or by adopting the names that were given to them by the authorities.

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Giant pandas arrive

Male “An An” and female “Ke Ke” are both aged five, the equivalent of 15 in human years. The pair arrived in the country amid much fanfare in September when Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki and Tourism Minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung welcomed them at the Hong Kong International Airport in a glittering ceremony.

As per Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong, An An and Ke Ke could help bring in customers and generate revenue. “It is difficult to put a number on [costs] as it is more than just about the income or the park, or the profit or losses. We believe our social responsibility is strong,” Mr Pong said.

“Most importantly we want to bring people to the park, to buy tickets or annual passes to maintain a steady income flow,” he added.

The pandas were unveiled to the public last week with the park anticipating huge rush in the days leading up to Christmas.

Finland’s Ahtari Zoo is prematurely ending its 15-year giant panda hosting program, returning Lumi and Pyry to China in November, eight years ahead of schedule. The decision stems from financial constraints, largely due to inflation and debt accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to BBC, the zoo spent approximately 1.5 million euros annually on the pandas’ upkeep, exceeding the combined costs of all other species. Additional expenses included a full-time keeper, preservation fees to China, and imported bamboo, totalling over 8 million euros for their enclosure.

The agreement to return the pair was reached with the zoo’s partners in China on September 20.

The Ahtari Zoo in Finland had high hopes that the giant pandas would draw in crowds to its central location, but unfortunately, that didn’t quite pan out. Since the Covid pandemic, the zoo has struggled with declining visitor numbers, which, combined with inflation and rising interest rates, has led to significant debt.

The pandas were to be returned after 15 years but “our economic situation does not allow us to keep the pandas anymore” Ahtari Zoo’s board chairman Risto Sivonen said.

Marko Haapakoski, curator at the zoo said, ”It’s a good thing for the zoo because they were so expensive, but the pandas had been “doing well, so it’s a pity. They’re nice to work with.”

Lumi and Pyry will undergo a month-long quarantine before returning to China.

A spokesperson for Finland’s foreign ministry said the pandas’ return was a business decision that did not involve the government, and that it should not impact relations between Finland and China.

Since 1949, China has strategically loaned giant pandas to foreign zoos to foster trade ties, strengthen diplomatic relations, and enhance its global image. According to AFP, an estimated 1,860 giant pandas remain in the wild, mainly in bamboo forests in the mountains of China. About 600 are in captivity in panda centres, zoos and wildlife parks around the world.