Baghdad zoo animals face hellish summer, with temperatures above 50ºC

The thermometers in the Iraqi capital exceeded this temperature this Monday (14) for the second day in a row, a torment for humans and animals alike.

Siberian tigers, whose natural habitat is the Russian Far East, tend to live in cold places, “where temperatures can reach minus 20ºC”, explains Wassim Sarih, veterinarian at the only zoo in Baghdad, located in the city center.

The Iraqi capital, like the rest of this Middle Eastern country, suffers an extreme heat wave in these weeks of August. According to the UN, Iraq, which is experiencing its fourth consecutive year of drought, is one of the five countries most exposed to climate change in the world.

The Baghdad Zoo has 900 animals, including lions, bears, monkeys and exotic birds. To reduce the feeling of heat among them, the administration placed air conditioning in front of the lion cages and ponds so that the tigers or bears tomem bath.

These conditions can be great for animals that live in warm habitats, “but we don't have cages for animals that are used to the cold,” explains Sarih.

“They are models from the 1970s,” admits Haider al Zamili, director of the zoo, who must take care of the well-being of animals with few resources.

Lower life expectancy

As a result of these conditions, “our animals have a shorter life expectancy compared to other zoos,” laments Sarih.

Siberian tigers at the Baghdad Zoo do not live more than “17 or 18 years” due to heat exhaustion, while in other zoos “they have a life expectancy of between 20 and 25 years”, says the veterinarian.

Sarih points out that four bears, lions and birds died last year, half of them “because of climate change”.

Karrar Jassem is one of the few employees present at the zoo during these hot days.

He feeds the animals and cleans their cages in exchange for a modest salary of 250 dinars per month, just over US$160 (R$782, at current exchange rates).

Employees' salaries are “very low and do not correspond to the dangers they face, such as possible injuries or joint pain”, criticizes Sarih.

The veterinarian says he alerted Baghdad City Hall, which owns the park, about the situation, but “they didn't listen to us”.

Given the precarious situation, Sarih predicts that “in the near future” the zoo will have no option but to close: “Everyone will lose out.”

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