On Monday April 10, Simba the Lion and Lulu the Bear were finally rescued from an abandoned zoo in Mosul, Iraq. Simba and Lulu’s rescue came a month after the first rescue attempt had failed, and two months after they had been found in the abandoned zoo.

During the last few months, fighting throughout Iraq, has caused many animal and civilian casualties, and has lead to thousands of people fleeing from the area. The Montazah al-Morour Zoo, was one of the many areas severely damaged during a battle earlier this year. Due to the damage most of the zoo’s animals were lost, but not Simba and Lulu; they were the only survivors.

When a group of veterinarians from the Four Paws International charity found the two animals back in February, nobody had entered the cages in weeks, and the animals were in appalling conditions. When the team came back in late March, they had one goal which was to remove the animals from Iraq so they could receive proper veterinary care. The vets took Simba and Lulu to the nearby city of Erbil, from where they were taken to Jordan.

Simba and Lulu’s rescue came a month after the first attempt to save them had failed. Now Simba and Lulu are receiving the medical care they need, and this is going to be a new beginning for the animals.