Are Zoos Ready for the Changing Climate? Welfare and Adaptation in a Warming World

The Conversation asks whether zoos are prepared for a changing climate and the resulting heatwaves that challenge animal welfare. As extreme heat becomes more common and humidity increases, zoos face welfare risks that go beyond temperature alone, illustrated by the Tama Zoo lions’ deaths during a heatwave. The piece argues that welfare depends on both the environment and the animals’ sense of choice and control, and it highlights how modern zoos monitor and manage individual animals to mitigate risk. The author, Samantha Ward of Nottingham Trent University, writes for The Conversation UK.

• Heat and humidity shape cooling strategies across species, with lions illustrating vulnerability in captivity.
• Zoos increasingly rely on detailed individual records to tailor care and monitor resilience.
• Mitigation includes expanding shaded areas, climate-controlled refuges, ventilation, misting systems, and adjusted feeding and enrichment schedules.
• Lessons extend to other managed animal populations, such as farms and rescue centers, in a warming world.

By Samantha Ward, Nottingham Trent University, for The Conversation UK.

Introduction

The Conversation investigates how climate change is shifting welfare concerns for animals living in human care, not only in the wild. Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense, and unpredictable, challenging the animals’ ability to regulate body temperature and cope with changing microclimates. The deaths of three lions at Tama Zoo during a heatwave that exceeded 40°C served as a stark reminder that heat is a welfare issue for zoo populations, prompting questions about what we know and what we do not about coping with heat in captive settings.

Heat, Humidity, and Animal Cooling

Temperature is only part of the heat story. Humidity can impede natural cooling strategies. Lions, like many mammals, are not as efficient at evaporative cooling as humans; they rely on shade, reduced activity, panting, and microclimates to dissipate heat. In wild settings, lions can move across large landscapes to find cooler microclimates, but such mobility is often restricted in zoos. The article emphasizes that high humidity can blunt these cooling strategies, increasing thermal stress and reducing activity when conditions become extreme. It also notes that other species long associated with cooler or arid environments, such as polar bears, penguins, and red pandas, may be especially vulnerable as their baseline thermal preferences collide with a warming climate. Even species typically linked to warm environments, including great apes, tapirs, cheetahs, and elephants, can suffer when high temperatures combine with humidity and limited access to shade, water, or other cooling opportunities.

Welfare as a Function of Choice and Environment

The piece advances a key principle of animal welfare science: welfare is influenced not only by environmental conditions but by the degree of choice and control animals have within those conditions. Modern zoos routinely maintain detailed records on behavior, personality, social relationships, health history, and life experiences, which allows for monitoring individual responses to heat and adjusting conditions accordingly. This individualized approach is framed as a strength of zoo management, enabling tailored interventions rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. The article also argues that climate change shifts the baseline upon which enclosure designs and climate-control systems were built, underscoring the need to rethink infrastructure and management practices.

Practical Responses and Infrastructure

To address foreseeable welfare risks, the article suggests several concrete measures: expanding shaded areas and climate-controlled refuges, improving ventilation and airflow, installing misting systems and water features, and implementing real-time temperature and humidity monitoring. Beyond infrastructure, daily management practices may need to adapt, with adjustments to feeding and enrichment schedules and routine activities to minimize heat exposure during the hottest parts of the day. The principle of treatable and preventable welfare risk aligns heat with other threats such as storms or disease outbreaks, arguing for proactive planning and risk management rather than reactive responses.

Tell-Tale Signs and Cross-Population Relevance

A central theme is the use of behavior as a welfare indicator. A lethargic, withdrawn, or less engaged animal may signal compromised welfare long before clinical signs appear. The article draws parallels with human experiences of heat, noting that heat can affect cognition and decision-making, suggesting that animals in care could display subtler signs of distress that caregivers should recognize and respond to. The insights are presented as relevant not only to zoos but to all managed animal populations, including farms, wildlife parks, rescue centers, and companion-animal settings, as heatwaves become a more regular feature of our climate.

Implications for the Future

The piece emphasizes that welfare in a changing climate will require ongoing data collection, staff training, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. It also highlights that welfare improvements should be seen as a never-ending process, with climate-informed design, adaptive management, and a strong emphasis on individual animal differences. The Conversation notes Nottingham Trent University as a partner and acknowledges Samantha Ward’s academic position in Zoo Animal Welfare and Legislation, framing these recommendations within a broader agenda to make climate-aware welfare standard practice in zoos and related institutions.

Conclusion

As heatwaves become more frequent, zoos must rethink how they manage animal welfare, not only by upgrading infrastructure but by embracing a culture of anticipatory, data-driven care that respects individual variation and the animals’ sense of choice. If zoos can implement climate-resilient designs and adaptive practices, they may not only protect welfare but also serve as important models for other managed animal populations in a warming world.

By Samantha Ward, Nottingham Trent University, for The Conversation UK. DOI: https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.phfqmdf9j