Sudan: Starving African Lions' Images Spark Social Media Campaign To Save Them

Several online campaigns have been launched to save five malnourished lions at a park in Sudan's Khartoum after their images went viral on social media.

The Lions have not been fed and are deprived of medical care for weeks, resulting in their appalling condition. Osman Salih, a Facebook user, shared pictures of the malnourished lions and urged concerned people and institutions to save the animals. Several volunteers visited Al-Qureshi Park to inspect the situation after seeing the pictures on social media.

In one of the posts, Salih also mentioned that donors brought fresh meat and medicinal equipment such as antibiotics and intravenous drips were also procured for the lions.

Netizens lauded Salih for his efforts and appreciated his selfless attempt to save the lions. "You folks are real heroes. Your efforts are truly remarkable," a user said.

Several people requested Salih to provide daily updates about the condition of the lions. Meanwhile, officials at the park claimed that the medical condition of the lions deteriorated over the past few weeks while some of the animals lost weight severely.

On Sunday, scores of volunteers and journalists rushed to the park to see the lions. One of the lions was tied with a rope and was fed liquids through a drip to recover from dehydration.

"Food is not always available. So, often we buy it from our own money to feed them," Essamelddine Hajjar, a manager at the park, said. "They are suffering from severe illnesses. They are sick and appear to be malnourished," Moataz Mahmoud, a caretaker said.

Sudan is in the middle of a devastating economic crisis, led by soaring food prices and foreign currency shortage. African lions have been classified as a "vulnerable" species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) after their population dropped 43 per cent between 1993 and 2014, falling to 20,000 at present.

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