Staring from behind rusted bars in a urine and blood-soaked cage, this is the once noble lion who is heartbroken after being reduced to skin and bone in the middle of a war zone.

The animal is trapped in the Taiz Zoo in Yemen, which has been in a bloody civil war since March last year.

And in the middle of air raids and tank shells one man and a small group of volunteers cross the front line every day to go and care for the animals of the zoo, including the lions.

The once proud lion in Taiz Zoo in Yemen, which has been reduced to skin and bone after being trapped there

He stares from behind rusted bars in a urine and blood-soaked cage while trapped in the zoo in Yemen

It takes around £2,200 to feed and medically treat just the lions and endangered Arabian leopards in the zoo

Bassam Al-Hakimi, 25, once owned an internet café that has been destroyed and he was an industrial engineering student before the conflict.

But now he is helping two women - Chantal Jonkergouw and Victoria Johner y Cruz from the SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue Group - bring funds from donors around the world to try and stop the zoos 266 animals from starving to death.

It takes around £2,200 to feed and medically treat just the lions and endangered Arabian leopards in the zoo - which also houses monkeys, deer, horses, birds and reptiles.

Before donations started flooding in 12 lions and six leopards had already died from starvation.

Since February they have raised nearly £50,000 Mr Al-Hakimi, who works Tamdeen Youth Foundation in Yemen, now crosses the front line every day to help the animals.

The lion has been heard whimpering and trying to roar from his cage for help after being trapped in the zoo

The lion stares helplessly at the ground after being reduced to skin and bone during his time in the cage

He said: 'The zoo is about three miles from the front line. About two months ago, the Saudi Air Force bombed an Al-Huthi forces tank stationed near the zoo causing an explosion and flying debris which damaged the snake cage.

'A lot of my friends have been killed in the war, in the zoo there is no danger, but we have to cross the front line and are right in the middle of the two fighting forces. A friend of mine was killed walking next to me.

'Animals are living beings just like us, they have the right to live in freedom, I help these animals because I'm a human and I cannot see these animals suffer and die of hunger without doing anything, This is our duty as human beings.'

Mr Al-Hkimi, who said he was involved in protests against what he saw as a corrupt government before the war started, said he does get some joy from the zoo.

He added: "There is a little horse which I love, she is lonely but she runs up to me cheerful and energetic every time I see her. She still loves life.

'Of course many of the animals are very sad, when I stand in front of the cage, and hear the sad roar of the lion, and I see his desperate looks, this breaks my heart.

"Certainly Yemenis have had this war imposed on us and we are paying the price for it, and the animals are most affected because they cannot do something and are just waiting to die in cages.

Before donations started flooding in for the zoo, 12 lions and six leopards had already died from starvation

'The world must push for peace, and pressure on all the conflicting parties in Yemen to stop this senseless war.

'We must protect these innocent animals from the dangers of hideous wars that we do as humans, I hope that we can provide a nature reserve where these animals live freely and peacefully one day.'

Chantal Jonkergouw, a Dutch banking executive living in Sweden, and Victoria Johner y Cruz, a lawyer based in Geneva, have helped campaign to save the amimals in Taiz.

Both are just animal lovers wanting to make a difference who have used their skills to find reliable contacts in Yemen and donors around the world to try and save the zoo.

But so far the war has proved something too difficult to get past in terms of an original aim of getting the animals out of the country to safety.

Ms Jonkergouw said: 'The absolute minimum is about 3,300 US dollars a week, so about 471 US dollars a day.

'We had difficulties with the hygiene at the zoo, so we had to make it really clean and used the money to help because this was causing bacterial infections in the lions.

Bassam Al-Hakimi, who crosses the front line of the war everyday to go to the zoo to look after the animals

'By our own count we have about 266 animals at the zoo including 19 lions and 26 leopards.

'When the war hit and siege specifically of the town, then there were no visitors and the zoo was closed down, no one was paid so the staff left.

'So the treatment of the animals got worse because of all these things. The people were suffering in the war and the animals tend to be low on the list of priorities obviously.'

'At the moment we are buying them time to find a local solution. This is proving to be extremely difficult as the international NGO's are not stepping in to help, and our fund is running out in four weeks from now.

'We need more time to find a way to rescue the trapped lions, leopards and the many other innocent victims of this war.'