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.



10 Endangered Black Rhinos Sent from S.Africa to Mozambique

Kenya Wildlife Services veterinarians and rangers rush to aid a sedated female black Rhinoceros that has been selected for translocation to the Segera Rhino Sanctuary from the Lake Nakuru National Park on June 07, 2025. (Photo by Tony KARUMBA / AFP)
Kenya Wildlife Services veterinarians and rangers rush to aid a sedated female black Rhinoceros that has been selected for translocation to the Segera Rhino Sanctuary from the Lake Nakuru National Park on June 07, 2025. (Photo by Tony KARUMBA / AFP)
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10 Endangered Black Rhinos Sent from S.Africa to Mozambique

Kenya Wildlife Services veterinarians and rangers rush to aid a sedated female black Rhinoceros that has been selected for translocation to the Segera Rhino Sanctuary from the Lake Nakuru National Park on June 07, 2025. (Photo by Tony KARUMBA / AFP)
Kenya Wildlife Services veterinarians and rangers rush to aid a sedated female black Rhinoceros that has been selected for translocation to the Segera Rhino Sanctuary from the Lake Nakuru National Park on June 07, 2025. (Photo by Tony KARUMBA / AFP)

Ten black rhinos have been moved from South Africa to Mozambique to secure breeding of the critically endangered animals that became locally extinct 50 years ago, conservationists said Thursday.

The five male and five female rhinos were transferred to Mozambique's Zinave National Park in a 48-hour road trip last week, said the Peace Parks Foundation, which took part in the translocation.

"It was necessary to introduce these 10 to make the population viable," communication coordinator Lesa van Rooyen told AFP.

The new arrivals will "secure the first founder population of black rhinos since becoming locally extinct five decades ago,” South Africa's environment ministry, which was also involved, said in a statement.

Twelve black rhinos had previously been sent from South Africa to Zinave in central Mozambique but the population was still not viable for breeding, Van Rooyen said.

Twenty-five white rhinos, which are classified as less threatened, were also translocated in various operations.

The global black rhino population dropped by 96 percent between 1970 and 1993, reaching a low of only 2,300 surviving in the wild, according to the International Rhino Foundation.

Decades of conservation efforts allowed the species to slowly recover and the population is estimated at 6,421 today.

Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers fell dramatically due to hunting by European colonizers and large-scale poaching, with their horns highly sought after on black markets particularly in Asia.

Mozambique's population of the large animals was depleted during the 15-year civil war, which ended in 1992 and pushed many people to desperate measures to "survive in very difficult circumstances", van Rooyen said.

Years of rewilding efforts have established Zinave as Mozambique’s only national park home to the "Big Five" game animals -- elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo.