Lions die of suspected heatstroke at zoo amid record heatwave

A record breaking heatwave in Japan has seen temperatures reaching 40C or above

Three lions at a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are under treatment, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday, with the big cats struggling with high humidity.

Staff at the Tama Zoological Park in Hino in the western suburbs of the Japanese capital, have said three of their 16 lions died of heat exhaustion as the country suffers an unprecedented heatwave

Ten of the 16 lions in Tama Zoological Park have suffered symptoms such as "loss of appetite and decreased activity" since mid-July, and three lionesses died, the zoo said in a statement.

Three female lions died of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo’s Tama Zoological Park over the last week, the first heat-related deaths among the facility’s lion population in its 62-year history.

The zoo said that 10 of its 16 lions have been ill. Japan has been experiencing an extreme heatwave since late July.

Three lions die of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo zoo  Reuters

Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40 degrees in recent weeks.

Most of the zoo’s 16 lions have struggled to cope with high humidity this summer Three lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are undergoing treatment, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, as the big cats struggle in Japan’s high levels of humidity. Japan sweltered through its hottest summer o

TOKYO: Three lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke, and others are under treatment, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday (Aug 3), with the big cats struggling with high levels of humidity.Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40°C in recent weeks,