{"id":1727,"date":"2026-08-04T04:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asianewscast.com\/2026\/08\/04\/three-lions-die-in-zoo-as-japan-battles-extreme-heat\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T04:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:00:04","slug":"three-lions-die-in-zoo-as-japan-battles-extreme-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727","title":{"rendered":"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luena, 15, was one of three female lions that died within a week in Tama Zoo<\/p>\n

Three female lions at a Tokyo zoo have died of suspected heat-related illness, as Japan battles punishing summer temperatures.<\/p>\n

The three lions died within a week at the Tama Zoological Park in western Tokyo. Autopsies show that the lions, aged three to 15, had suffered from dehydration and multiple organ failure – suggesting heat was the cause, said the zoo.<\/p>\n

"This is the first time we've experienced anything like this. Last year was also hot, but none of our lions fell ill like this," Miwa, Kosaka, a zoo representative, told the BBC.<\/p>\n

Japan's summers are getting hotter and more dangerous, with some cities seeing several "cruelly hot days" – a term used for days when temperatures rise above 40C.<\/p>\n

According to Tama Zoo, Mugi, a three-year-old female lion, had a loss of appetite on 19 July and was unable to stand up the next day.<\/p>\n

Zoo staff provided ventilation and water to cool her down, and later administered subcutaneous fluids, liver tonics and vitamins. But she ultimately died on 28 July.<\/p>\n

Ichigo, an 11-year-old female lion, died days later on 31 July. Luena, a 15-year-old female lion, died on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Autopsies show systemic dehydration and multiple organ failure in all three lions, suggesting that heat stress was a cause, the zoo said. It added that their causes of death can only be determined after test results are out.<\/p>\n

There are three lions – two males and one female – that are "still unwell and unable to stand", the zoo said in a statement on Monday, adding that its staff are administering fluids, medication and vitamins to the felines.<\/p>\n

"Some of the lions are showing signs of improvement," Kosaka told the BBC.<\/p>\n

The zoo also said that four lions have shown signs of recovery, while six lions were in good health from the beginning. They will be placed in a private enclosure equipped with portable air-conditioners and industrial fans.<\/p>\n

Hideaki Karaki, professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Tokyo, told local media that high humidity makes it difficult for lions to regulate their body temperatures.<\/p>\n

He explains that instead of sweating, lions take deep breaths to expel moisture from their airways. When the moisture evaporates, body temperature drops.<\/p>\n

But the lions' body temperatures could not drop sufficiently in high humidity, he says.<\/p>\n

Another factor could be the sudden spike in temperature in mid-July, leaving the animals insufficient time to acclimate to the heat, Karaki adds.<\/p>\n

Tama Zoo houses around 260 species of animals. Its lions have long been a key attraction, having been bred and exhibited since 1964. According to the zoo's website, it offers a safari-style bus service for visitors to view the lions in their enclosure.<\/p>\n

Tama Zoo announced last month that it would suspend its lion exhibit and lion bus service, due to the "sudden heatwave" making the lions ill.<\/p>\n

In the week of 20 July alone, at least 18,000 people across the country were taken to hospital for heatstroke, according to government data.<\/p>\n

The government has issued heat warnings and urged residents to take measures to stay cool, including encouraging office workers to ditch formal attire for breezier outfits.<\/p>\n

PC Harper's mother 'devastated' his killers set for early release under revised plans<\/p>\n

Breast cancer checks missing most women under 50 who are at risk, says study<\/p>\n

Woman has pioneering womb surgery to fix 'miracle' baby with intestines outside its body<\/p>\n

Starting uni? What to know about the free NHS meningitis B jab in England<\/p>\n

How parents and pupils took on 'cruel', 'authoritarian' schools – and won<\/p>\n

It may be easier to get your first mortgage than you think – here's why<\/p>\n

'No guarantees' – joyful Glasgow cannot banish all Commonwealth doubts<\/p>\n

'What was my fault?': How India's exam paper leak ended young lives<\/p>\n

Get news, tips and ideas for your family with our Summer Essential newsletter<\/p>\n

The Scottish Premiership returns with chaos, comebacks and controversy<\/p>\n

Follow the wildfires in Europe and the firefighters tackling them<\/p>\n

Analysis: Trump fumes as top allies back down on his personal battles<\/p>\n

US states sue to block Trump tariffs impacting dozens of countries<\/p>\n

PC Harper's mother 'devastated' his killers set for early release under revised plans<\/p>\n

There's a reason child vaccination rates are falling – and it's not social media<\/p>\n

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan advised to stay away from home matches<\/p>\n

Russia says seven killed and 40 injured by Ukrainian drone hitting busy beach<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Luena, 15, was one of three female lions that died within a week in Tama Zoo Three female lions at a Tokyo zoo have died of suspected heat-related illness, as Japan battles punishing summer temperatures. The three lions died within a week at the Tama Zoological Park in western Tokyo. Autopsies show that the lions, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThree lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat - Asia Newscast<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat - Asia Newscast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Luena, 15, was one of three female lions that died within a week in Tama Zoo Three female lions at a Tokyo zoo have died of suspected heat-related illness, as Japan battles punishing summer temperatures. The three lions died within a week at the Tama Zoological Park in western Tokyo. Autopsies show that the lions, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Asia Newscast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-04T04:00:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"240\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"135\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ANC News Desk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ANC News Desk\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ANC News Desk\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2c9f588ee00d3b2b92133babac793e30\"},\"headline\":\"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-04T04:00:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727\"},\"wordCount\":788,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727\",\"name\":\"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat - Asia Newscast\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-04T04:00:04+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg\",\"width\":240,\"height\":135},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=1727#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Asia Newscast\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Asia Newscast\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/anc-logo-v3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/anc-logo-v3.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"caption\":\"Asia Newscast\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2c9f588ee00d3b2b92133babac793e30\",\"name\":\"ANC News Desk\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/77de746d543b5ff4f56d09fd6ad80cbe60a27662c69f5f6c30f6ef847060400f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/77de746d543b5ff4f56d09fd6ad80cbe60a27662c69f5f6c30f6ef847060400f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/77de746d543b5ff4f56d09fd6ad80cbe60a27662c69f5f6c30f6ef847060400f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ANC News Desk\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/asianewscast.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat - Asia Newscast","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat - Asia Newscast","og_description":"Luena, 15, was one of three female lions that died within a week in Tama Zoo Three female lions at a Tokyo zoo have died of suspected heat-related illness, as Japan battles punishing summer temperatures. The three lions died within a week at the Tama Zoological Park in western Tokyo. Autopsies show that the lions, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727","og_site_name":"Asia Newscast","article_published_time":"2026-08-04T04:00:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":240,"height":135,"url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"ANC News Desk","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ANC News Desk","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727"},"author":{"name":"ANC News Desk","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2c9f588ee00d3b2b92133babac793e30"},"headline":"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat","datePublished":"2026-08-04T04:00:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727"},"wordCount":788,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727","name":"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat - Asia Newscast","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-04T04:00:04+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ba29f010-8fb1-11f1-a9e7-cb00cf477e15-pEHcFj.jpg","width":240,"height":135},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=1727#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Three lions die in zoo as Japan battles extreme heat"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/","name":"Asia Newscast","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#organization","name":"Asia Newscast","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/anc-logo-v3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/anc-logo-v3.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"caption":"Asia Newscast"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2c9f588ee00d3b2b92133babac793e30","name":"ANC News Desk","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/77de746d543b5ff4f56d09fd6ad80cbe60a27662c69f5f6c30f6ef847060400f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/77de746d543b5ff4f56d09fd6ad80cbe60a27662c69f5f6c30f6ef847060400f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/77de746d543b5ff4f56d09fd6ad80cbe60a27662c69f5f6c30f6ef847060400f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ANC News Desk"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/asianewscast.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}