When this zoo lion was photographed with its bones protruding through its hide three weeks ago, the picture prompted outrage around the world.
The emaciated big cat, named Kandaka, had lost almost two-thirds of her body weight.
Having been left chronically malnourished because they were mistreated and underfed, Kandaka and four other lions were in desperate need of expert help.
Now following a rescue mission by wildlife charity Four Paws, Kandaka, is starting to return to normal weight.
Four Paws dispatched specialist emergency vets to save the animals being kept in filthy conditions at the Al Quarashi Family Zoo in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
Sadly one of the lions died shortly before the vets arrived, but the others are slowly being nursed back to full health.
“The animals are doing well and have responded well to the support from our teams,” a Four Paws spokeswoman said.
The charity is now negotiating with the Sudanese government to find an appropriate new home for the lions as the zoo is set to be permanently shut down.
One male lion, named Mansour, was moved to another zoo without Four Paws consent, but has now been brought back for further treatment by lead vet Amir Khalil.
He has previously rescued animals from an amusement park in Aleppo, Syria, and a zoo in Mosul, Iraq.
“Together with local trained volunteers and supporters, we will continue our care, providing food and medical treatments for him and the other animals,” the spokeswoman added.
“The first step is to provide Mansour with small new enrichments, like palm trees for him to stretch and scratch on.”
Since the vets arrived, they have also had to treat other species at the zoo which were close to dying too.
