Photos of five starving lions haunting the cages of Al Qureshi Park in the Sudanese capital have exploded since early morning, January 20, on social media. “When I saw the lions at the zoo, I was shocked. Their bones are protruding from their skin,” Osman Salih wrote on Facebook , launching a campaign under the slogan #Sudananimalrescue . “I urge people and institutions to help them.” Many require the animals to be moved to a more suitable environment.

@action4ifaw



The previous sudan regime hasn’t only tortured and killed the people but alos animals. These m lions needs immediate and urgent care, they found in Khartoum’s Gurashi Zoo#SudanAnimalRescue#انقذو_حدائق_الحيوانات_في_السودان pic.twitter.com/s3BMhsQlCj — Thwiba Eltahir (@thwibaeltom) January 19, 2020

“Food is not always available, so often we buy it from our own money to feed them,” Essamelddine Hajjar, a manager at Al-Qureshi park told AFP.

The park is managed by Khartoum municipality but also funded in part by private donors.

Sudan is in the midst of a worsening economic crisis, led by soaring food prices and foreign currency shortage.

These lions conditions make we humans feel shameful for ourselves. They're in extreme hunger.

Dear @SudanTribune_EN please act upon this !!!

Dear @PMOIndia , you are our voice sir. Please support them for a better habitat for animals 😔#AnimalRights #SudanAnimalRescue #PETA pic.twitter.com/rtRUiD8dcM — Md Imranullah (@MdImranullah2) January 20, 2020

In 2017 similar thing happened in Mosul, Iraq, where local Zoo was destroyed during the war against ISIS.