Sudan Lions Reserve Warns Running Low on Food

Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP
Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP
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Sudan Lions Reserve Warns Running Low on Food

Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP
Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP

Heavy fighting in Sudan, which has plunged the nation into chaos and killed hundreds, has also raised fears about the fate of 25 lions and other animals in a wildlife reserve.

The facility said it is without electricity to power safety fences around enclosures and running low on food for the felines, which each require five to 10 kilograms (11 to 22 pounds) of meat a day.

Violence broke out in the capital and across Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces.

The clashes have killed more than 400 people, wounded thousands and threatened a descent into wider turmoil in the northeast African country, already one of the world's poorest.

"Firstly, may Allah protect Sudan and the people of Sudan," said a statement by the Sudan Animal Rescue Center, which went on to warn that the situation at the sanctuary had also become "critical".

It said it no longer had a permanent staff presence at the sanctuary, located an hour's drive southeast of Khartoum near a military base that had been rocked by "deadly clashes on a daily basis".

The sanctuary houses 25 lions and various other animals including gazelles, camels, monkeys, hyenas and birds, AFP reported.

"We are under tremendous pressure due to the current power outage, and our stocks of food and drink are beginning to run out," it said, adding that one of its vehicles had been stolen.

The power outage had become "a real threat" because the facility relies on electricity to power equipment for the animal enclosures.

"We therefore appeal to all officials and those with the ability to help with the need to intervene ... as soon as possible," it added in the statement.



Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greek firefighters said Friday that a forest blaze that had forced evacuations around Athens was under control, but warned that scorching temperatures were keeping fire risk at a highly elevated level around the capital and on northern Aegean islands.

Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in the summer fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.

The fire around Athens broke on Thursday afternoon near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages popular with local and foreign tourists, AFP reported.

Though it was under control on Friday, a volatile combination of high temperatures and strong winds meant that a high risk of other fires breaking out remained, especially in the Attica region around the Greek capital and some islands in the north Aegean Sea, authorities said.

A spokesman for the fire service told AFP that over 100 firefighters with 37 vehicles and a helicopter were on standby near Palaia Fokaia and Thymari.

Fields, olive groves and some houses were ravaged by the blaze.

The blaze came on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios -- Greece's fifth-largest island -- which had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land in four days.

Weather agencies forecast a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), including in the capital Athens.