Two days ago a kiwi cameraman along with animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS risked their lives in attempt to rescue the last two remaining animals at Montazah Al-Morour Zoo, in the war stricken city of Mosul.
The attempt was unsuccessful after the Iraqi army forced the group to return Lula the bear and Simba the lion back to the abandoned, filthy zoo.
With their presence in Mosul now known to Islamic State militants they faced new threats of being attacked if they went back into the war zone … but after two days of intense negotiations they did
A New Zealand cameraman is among a group of animal-welfare activists trying to get a lion and bear out of a deserted zoo in a war-torn Iraq.
Former NZ Herald Focus cameraman Anton Leach is filming a brave mission being carried out by members of animal welfare charity FOUR PAWS.
The group is trying to save a lion and a bear, named Simba and Lula who are the last surviving animals in an Isis-controlled zoo in the city of Mosul, in northern Iraq.
Leach was there when the team this week successfully retrieved the animals and prepared them for the trip out of Mosul.
However, the group was met with bad news at the border, when soldiers refused to let them pass with the animals. Despite an attempt to negotiate at the checkpoint, the animals had to be returned to the zoo.
They later found out both Lula and Simba had been left in their transport cages on the street outside the zoo overnight while a city-wide curfew was in place.
The group was assured the animals had been put back in their proper cages the next morning, but this did little to allay their fears for the animals' wellbeing.
Leach acknowledged how dangerous the situation was for them going in a second time and said they had even received death threats.
"We are people who Isis would like to capture and extort money out of - whoever we're involved with.
"So going in there once - people are aware that you've gone in there. And I think there was a big mistake by sending the animals back to Mosul, back to the wrong place.
"And then having to go in a second time is hectic because we all know that they know that we're here and that we're going to go in again, so it's a huge risk for us."
Despite the danger, the charity is determined to get Lula and Simba to safety.
The progress is slow but the team are more positive this time around. As they have the owner's permission to take the animals, Iraqi forces cannot send them back to the zoo.
Iraqi security forces fire towards Islamic State positions in the old city of Mosul during fighting on the western side of the city. Photo / AP
Khalil described harrowing scenes at the zoo, which he estimated had been home to up to 50 animals.
Their home had literally turned into a battlefield over the last few months and many of the animals starved to death.
Skeletons of dead animals could be seen in cages and the smell of faeces and urine filled the air, he said.
"The lion Simba is about 3 years old. His mum [ate] his dad because she was hungry and after this the mum was hungry again and she died.
"The bear had two small cubs. She was hungry. What should she do?
"It was a very complicated situation because I see here in Mosul - it's my third visit - it's very, very sad. I hear the bombs, I hear missiles, I know a lot of people are dying.
"But on the other hand, these wild animals have no option to be escaping or be evacuated."
Khalil said Simba was suffering from joint problems and skin diseases.
Lula had diarrhoea and was suffering from an eye inflammation, as well as other problems.
Khalil said the hope was to get the pair out and to a wildlife sanctuary in Jordan.
Khalil acknowledged many people questioned why they were so focused on saving animals, when many people in the area were suffering also.
"Kindness cannot be divided. If you are a kind person, you should be kind to humans and animals."
They are not out of the woods yet however. Lula and Simba have now been held at the checkpoint for almost 48 hours, with Dr Khalil staying by their side as other members of them team take turns at bringing food and supplies for Lula, Simba and Khalil.
