In Japan, three lionesses die from possible heatstroke

Three lions at a zoo in the suburbs of Tokyo have died from possible heatstroke, while several other felines remain under medical observation, a spokeswoman for the facility announced Tuesday, in a country facing another particularly intense heat wave.

Ten of the park's sixteen lions have been affected since mid-July

Since mid-July, ten of the sixteen lions at Tama Zoo, located west of Tokyo, have shown symptoms such as loss of appetite and decreased activity. Three lionesses have died in recent days: the first on July 28, a second on Friday, and the third on Sunday. According to the zoo's veterinarian, the cause of death may have been heatstroke, as signs of dehydration and multiple organ failure were observed in the animals.

A spokesperson for the zoo told AFP that despite the lions' reputation for heat resistance, the high humidity of the Japanese climate, very different from the dry heat of Africa, makes their adaptation particularly difficult, especially since this heat wave arrived abruptly after the end of the rainy season at the end of July.

A country facing increasingly extreme heat

The zoo announced it was strengthening its heat protection measures by watering the facilities, improving ventilation and installing localized air conditioners, while keeping several lions under close medical observation.

This heat wave also affected the Japanese population as a whole, with nearly 18,600 people hospitalized for heatstroke between July 20 and 26, including 45 who were declared dead on arrival at the hospital, in a country that records about 1,300 heat-related deaths each year.