Meet Zaki, the malnourished lion suffering inside Nigerian ‘horror’ zoo

A starving lion was discovered by a shocked visitor to a zoo in Nigeria along-side a number of other severely underfed animals, the Daily Mail reports.

After the man’s discovery, a wildlife charity has begun a rescue mission from the horror zoo in an attempt to save the life of the severely malnourished male lion.

His strength must first be returned before he can be relocated to a sanctuary, but there ar questions over whether the lion can survive for long enough.

The man was visiting to the Gamji Gate zoo in Kaduna, Nigeria, and was shocked to discover the conditions the animals were being kept in.

After paying a one dollar entrance fee to the state-owned zoo, he came across a painfully thin lion — which looked as if it was on the verge of death — locked up in a cement cage.

‘The first moment I saw the animal I felt shock,’ the man, who wishes to remain unnamed, told Jam Press. ‘I was so surprised. I felt so nervous and uneasy because it was my first time seeing a lion live.

‘Like this is my first time in a zoo. I virtually saw them in movies, news and magazines. Actually, most of the animals in the zoo are not well-fed. They lack proper treatment or let me say malnutrition.’

Disturbed by the scene, the man recorded his findings and quickly contacted the animal welfare charity WildatLife.e.V to assist in the rescue of the lion.

His footage and photos show the lion looking incredibly thin with its ribs visibly protruding from its stomach.

This is in stark contrast to a typical full-grown male lion, which weighs in at around 420 pounds, while female lions generally weigh about 280 pounds.

The lion, named Zaki by the charity, is in critical condition and had been left to suffer beyond comprehension.

However, WildatLife.e.V is working alongside the Nigerian Association of Zoological parks which has assisted them in finding a wildlife vet and informing the authorities, who are investigating the matter urgently.

A spokesperson said: ‘The vet was sent and gave medical assistance to the lion but he will require further treatment which NGO WildatLife will pay for.

‘We are awaiting the full vet diagnosis and report into how and why this has been allowed to happen.

‘Zaki is now receiving medical care and it will be an ongoing case.

‘If Zaki survives this ordeal, our NGO has offered to relocate him to a sanctuary that will see him thrive.

‘But in his now critical condition, it is not viable to relocate him, we must work closely with the Nigerian officials to have this matter dealt with internally.

‘We must prevent suffering in zoos around the wild that holds wildlife captive for profit.’

Sadly, a number of other animals in the zoo looked to be in poor health and malnourished too. The NGO said conditions and enclosures were completely unsuitable.

However, the lion is the most urgent and shocking case the NGO has ever seen.

It was not clear whether to zoo would remain open after the discovery.