The two giant pandas that Volga-Dnepr Airlines transported to Finland have settled into their new home at Ahtari Zoo.
Lumi and Pyry were transported from China to Finland under a joint programme aiming to preserve and study giant pandas.
Their arrival in Finland followed the signing of an agreement in 2017 by the Preservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Dujiangyan, which agreed to transfer the two pandas to Ahtari Zoo for a set time period.
During the flight, the pandas were accompanied by one of their keepers and a vet from the Finnish zoo to ensure the safety and well being of the animals.
One hour before landing, the crew gradually lowered the temperature in the cargo hold to 10C to help the pandas acclimatise gradually for their arrival in snow covered Helsinki.
Volga-Dnepr Airlines general director, Mikhail Smirnykh says: “This flight in support of such an important wildlife preservation programme was special for our company so we are delighted to hear that Lumi and Pyry have acclimatised so quickly to their new surroundings.”
StarBroker Asia Pacific, part of DHL Global Forwarding was Volga-Dnepr’s customer for the transportation, and manager Daniel Hou says: “We use Volga-Dnepr services for multiple projects worldwide because we know their advantages in air charter and scheduled operations. The delicate transportation of animals on this important flight proves that we made the right choice.”
