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Three female lions have died of suspected heatstroke at a zoo in Hino, a city on Tokyo's western edge, following weeks of extreme heat across Japan, the Japan News reported Monday.
The lions, aged between three and 15, died between Tuesday and Sunday at Tama Zoological Park.
Autopsies found all three suffered dehydration and multiple organ failure, with authorities believing heatstroke caused their deaths, according to the report.
Sixteen lions—five males and 11 females aged one to 20—were housed at the zoo as of July.
Ten of the animals developed symptoms, including loss of appetite and reduced activity, after an extended period of extreme heat that began in mid-July and required medical treatment. The zoo suspended public viewing of the lions on July 23 as their health deteriorated.
One female and two male lions remain in poor condition and continue to receive treatment, according to the report.
Tama Zoological Park has bred and exhibited lions since 1964 without previously recording a heat-related death, officials said.
'There has never been a case in which lions died due to heat at Tama Zoological Park,' a Tokyo metropolitan government official said.
The deaths come amid one of Japan's most severe summers on record. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher for five consecutive days through July 25, the longest such streak since record-keeping began, while Tokyo's Fire Department reported a single-day record of 453 people receiving hospital treatment for heat-related issues in late July.
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