Three lions die at Tokyo’s Tama Zoo amid heat wave

Mugi, a female lion at Tama Zoo in Tokyo, has died following a heat wave in July. | COURTESY OF TOKYO ZOOLOGICAL PARK SOCIETY Aug 4, 2026 Three lions have died at a Tokyo zoo and several more have fallen ill, most likely due to extreme heat, following several weeks of record-breaking temperatures across Japan.The park’s lion exhibit had been suspended since July 23 after several of the big cats showed signs of sickness, such as loss of appetite, fatigue and decreased activity, in mid-July, Tokyo’s Tama Zoo said in a statement Monday.The three lions that died were all female: Mugi, age 3, Ichigo, age 11, and Luena, age 15. The zoo had a total of 16 lions, including five males, as of July 18. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than e