Baghdad zoo animals suffer as temperatures breach 50 degrees

Baghdad zoo animals suffer as temperatures breach 50 degrees

Animals in Baghdad Zoo swelter as temperatures in the Iraqi capital breach 50 degrees Celsius.

Siberian tigers, more suited to freezing conditions, try to cool off in pools while parrots drink from water bottles in an attraction that hasn't seen renovation since the 1970s.

"Visitors complain about old cages" says Haider Al-Zamili, the zoo's director.

In recent years, with summers defined by intense heat and drought, the zoo has lost numerous animals to harsh conditions.