There has been widespread concern about the plight of the lions
[Sudan Watch Ed: Apologies to the author of above report, I was so shocked and upset reading it I mislaid its hyperlink]
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Sudan lions: outpouring of support for emaciated cats after viral campaign
Published 29 January 2020
When images of the starving lions circulated online, many in Khartoum stepped in to offer donations – despite poverty, food insecurity and unemployment being widespread
Photo: A team of international wildlife conservationists from Four Paws organisation examine one of the fours starving and sick lions at a zoo in the Sudanese capital on January 27, 2020 where a lioness died last week. Months of political and economic turmoil that rocked Sudan from late 2018 severely damaged the health of the lions faced with shortages of food and medicine. Al-Qureshi Park is run by Khartoum municipality but funded partly by private donations, which have dried up due to the economic crisis that sparked nationwide protests though much of last year. / AFP / ASHRAF SHAZLY
Help has finally arrived for four starving lions in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum after images went viral online showing the emaciated big cats.
The predicament of the lions first came to local and international attention when a Khartoum software engineer, Osman Salih, visited Al Qureshi park and posted images of the starving cats.
"It's so upsetting. These lions have been suffering for so long," Mr Salih told AFP.
Subsequent images, including video clips, also posted online showed them walking with extreme difficulty with flies swarming over open wounds. All the lions had protruding bones.
The park is run by the Khartoum municipality and officials there said the animals were left to starve because of lack of resources. They added that the chaos and violence that swept the Sudanese capital during months of street protests that began in December 2018 against the 29-year rule of dictator Omar Al Bashir, who was removed by the military in April, contributed to the decline in their condition.
“Lots of fresh meat was brought by several donors as well as two sheep,” Mr Salih wrote on Facebook last week. “Supply of regular meat from factories and slaughterhouses was also secured.”
On Monday, a rapid response team of wildlife conservationists from the Vienna-based Four Paws flew into Khartoum to treat the animals, but it was too late for a lioness that died last week from dehydration and starvation even though local veterinaries tried to save her with intravenous fluids.
"It's now important to improve the conditions of the animals... and the next step is to find a long-term solution," Amir Khalil of Four Paws told AFP.
Mr Khalil said carrying out tests on the animals would not be easy. "It's very difficult to approach the animals and very risky," he said. Mr Khalil was quoted by The Associated Press on Tuesday as saying two of the four surviving lions were in “critical condition” having lost a third of their weight.
“Their muscles are not even able to move. I don’t know how we will be able to do injections,” he said.
"The animals are very weak at this moment, so moving them won't be the best thing," said Juno Van Zon, another member of the team.
"I think for now we have to focus on getting the animals healthy and also to train the people."
Sudan’s wildlife has greatly suffered from the country’s near-constant civil wars since independence in 1956, especially decades of conflict in southern Sudan. The fighting forced a significant number of animals to escape to neighbouring countries in search of safety.
The tragedy of the Khartoum lions, meanwhile, has come to world attention at a time when the African lion is thought by conservationists to be “vulnerable,” with an estimated 20,000 of them left in the entire continent. That figure underlines a staggering decline of 43 per cent in the period between 1994 and 2014, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Humans are not doing much better in Sudan, a vast Afro-Arab country that, beside civil wars, has suffered a series of famines since the 1980s. The United Nations says that of a population of some 43 million people, 9.3 million – 23 per cent of the population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2020.
Throughout Sudan, said the UN, 58 per cent of households cannot afford basic daily food basket and over 2.7 million children suffer from acute malnutrition.
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UPDATE - 11 February 2020 ❤️❤️❤️
Look who is feeling better!
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Sudan: The Forgotten Lions
News report from Das Erste - www.daserste.de
Author: Daniel Hechler/ARD Studio Cairo
Published 16 February 2020 8:27 PM
Title: Sudan: The Forgotten Lions
She was just a shadow of herself. Skin and bones after weeks without food. Today Kendaka is back on her feet. Still weak and thin, almost blind. But back in life and full of curiosity. A fighter. Even if there remain scars that tell of their suffering.
He saved them. Osman Sali strolls through a park in Khartoum in mid-January, discovering this creepy mini-zoo in a corner. Wild animals crammed together on a few square meters, without any care. Hyenas, eagles, lizards and also five lions. Three of them completely exhausted. Kendaka seems doomed. Osman is stunned.
"You couldn't see any fat, you couldn't see any more muscles. She was a skeleton on the ground, couldn't move. The cage was extremely dirty. It was sad to see them like this," says Osman Sali, an IT specialist.
Osman confronts the operator of the zoo. He reacts coolly. He ran out of food. Finally, everyone would suffer in Sudan. For the 35-year-old family man, nothing more than a stupid excuse, as he tells us.
"It's not fair to say that. Unlike humans, the lions are trapped in a cage. You can't go out, ask for help, shop, don't even go begging in the street," says Osman Sali.
Animals become a symbol of suffering and hunger in Sudan
At home, the IT specialist reaches into the buttons and uploads the photos. His wife and children are also shocked. Together they want to save the lions. Somehow. On Facebook, his post sparked outrage. Hundreds of comments in a few hours. The animals become a symbol of suffering and hunger in Sudan.
But also for the determination to fight against not leaving them alone. "I was overwhelmed. I couldn't handle the pressure. It was just too much news. I had to turn my phone on silently because it rang all the time and I wanted to focus on solving the problem," says Osman Sali.
It will be hectic days for Osman. He commutes through Khartoum, organizes food, medicines, contacts the government, animal welfare organizations and experiences enormous helpfulness. Despite poverty, hardship and shortage in Sudan. The economic crisis is paralysing the country. Miles of queues in front of the petrol stations, the gasoline is scarce. There are also shortages of medicines, jobs, prospects.
"I have to take a taxi from morning to evening to make ends meet and put some money aside for my wedding," says Kassem Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, a taxi driver.
Everyone wants to help the lions
It is the legacy of 30 years of dictatorship and nepotism. The people have brought down the regime. After months of mass protests. The military and the opposition have agreed on a joint government and a roadmap for new elections. "I love my country very much. And I really hope that things will get better now," Osman Sali hopes. However, not much has been said for people about change. They have to queue for bread, often for hours. Money is running out, prices are rising. And yet many are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
"I'm optimistic. When people stand together, good things come into being. Our country has abundant natural resources. Three rivers, fertile soil. This will enable us to provide for the whole of Sudan," says Hamdi Abdel Kader.
Pride, solidarity, confidence. They also feel this in the zoo. According to Osman's posts, meat and food pile up there. Volunteers prepare special food for the emaciated lions. Minced meat, cat food, vitamins, proteins, antibiotics.
Teamwork with Happy End
Amir Khalid from the organization 'Four Paws' offers help, flies in from Vienna. The veterinarian specialises in emergency operations. But he has never experienced one in 30 years. First, the Egyptian is skeptical whether the lions can survive. Gradually, however, they gain confidence, take on food and develop magnificently.
"They lost almost two-thirds of their body weight at that time, the chance of survival was zero percent. I'm so happy, it's 90 percent now, the muscles are very good, the immune system. I'm happy, it was a team effort. Especially the lions themselves, they want to live," says Amir Khalid, a veterinarian.
A team effort with a happy ending. And a proof of humanity also towards animals, as Amir Khalid and Osman Sali believe.
"I am so relieved, grateful, happy with what we have achieved. She finally looks like a lioness again," says Osman Sali.
The government now wants to make a site at the gates of the capital available for the animals. Appropriate with plenty of spout. Osman and Dr. Amir are impressed by the plans. Everyone is pulling together now. It's a story that gives hope to the lions, but also to the whole country. A country in transition.
