The African lion breathing like a "dog". Screenshot of D Video

How hot is the weather in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province? On Monday, the video of an African lion lying in the hot weather in Hangzhou's Zoo attracted the attention of netizens and went viral on social media platforms. Some netizens joked that the zoo should send the lions back to Africa to beat the summer heat.

The video posted online shows a lion lying flat on its back in the shade, its eyes reduced to narrow slits, its mouth wide open and its tongue sticking out, gasping for air. 

"A lion from Africa has become a dog in Hangzhou," a netizen wrote alongside the video.

On Monday afternoon, a staff member of the zoo told the media that lions do lose heat in a similar way to dogs by sticking out their tongues. The zoo has already provided ice to cool the lions. Additionally, the staff also change the way to cool them off from giving them more water to drink to creating a more comfortable environment.