Offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS highlights quiet efforts to save animals, cultural artifacts in war zones

dk_photos/iStock/Thinkstock(MOSUL, Iraq) —  When veterinarian Amir Khalil arrived at a zoo in eastern Mosul last month, just weeks after Iraqi forces drove ISIS militants from the enclave, there was little life to be found.

Nearly 40 animals that once inhabited the Montazah al-Morour Zoo have died. Trapped in their cages and unable to escape the conflict around them, some animals were killed in the crossfire while many others died of starvation. A lion and a bear were the only zoo animals to survive, according to Khalil.

“The lion and the bear were in very bad conditions, very sick,” Khalil told ABC News. “It’s a disaster.”

It took 100 days of bloodshed and street-to-street fighting for Iraqi troops to seize the eastern half of Mosul from ISIS. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the ongoing fighting there, and the harrowing sights of a city they were forced to leave behind have become emblematic of their suffering — including starved animals at a derelict zoo and smashed artifacts at a museum vandalized be retreating ISIS fighters.

Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, fell under ISIS rule in the summer of 2014 when the jihadist group took over large swaths of northern and western Iraq. Mosul is the group’s last urban stronghold in the country.

On Oct. 17, 2016, about 18,000 Iraqi forces, 10,000 Kurdish forces known as peshmerga and a few thousand Iraqi federal police launched the massive operation to free Mosul from ISIS control. Iraqi special forces joined the fight four days later. These forces all received assistance from American military advisers in Iraq to help that country’s security forces fight ISIS.

On Jan. 24, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared eastern Mosul “fully liberated” from ISIS. On Feb. 19, al-Abadi announced an offensive was launched to retake the western side of Mosul. This half of the city, on the left bank of the Tigris River, is more densely populated than the eastern side and it is believed that ISIS fighters will take advantage of the narrow streets to slow down the military offensive.

A U.S. official who spoke to ABC News over the weekend said the military offensive is going well so far, despite facing tough resistance from ISIS fighters.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday that there are currently 211,572 Iraqis displaced by the fighting in Mosul, with over 50,000 added since the latest military offensive was launched. More than 195,000 displaced Iraqis are currently sheltering in 21 camps built by U.N. agencies and the government around Mosul. But most existing camps are at or near full capacity, so UNHCR is working to open new camps to accommodate the spike in displacement.

Those who fled their homes risked their lives to do so and often walked long distances to reach safety at government checkpoints. Many arrived in desperate condition, visibly traumatized, famished, dehydrated, without shoes and wearing soaked clothing, according to UNHCR.

“We were starving for one month, just feeding the children water and flour, and sometimes we could improve the diet with a bit of tomato paste. It was either stay and die, or flee and risk death. Hunger was the main reason for us to leave,” Adil, 34, told UNHCR, describing his family’s recent escape from western Mosul.

Life has begun to return to normal for those residing in the parts of Mosul freed from ISIS control. But reminders of the group’s brutal two-and-a-half year rule still lingers.

Earlier this week, Iraqi-led forces seized Mosul’s administration building and antiquities museum located on the western bank of the Tigris River.

ISIS released video in 2015 showing its militants smashing artifacts at the museum with sledgehammers and power tools. The group, which views ancient artifacts as idols, has systematically destroyed ancient temples, churches and palaces in Syria and Iraq over the past two and a half years.

Along the eastern bank of the Tigris River is a public park that houses the Montazah al-Morour Zoo. ISIS set up a military base at the park after invading Mosul in 2014. Many of the lions, bears, monkeys, tropical birds and other wild animals that inhabited the zoo died during the militants’ occupation, according to aid groups.

Khalil, a veterinarian with FOUR PAWS International, led a rapid response team from the animal welfare charity to the zoo on Feb. 21. The zoo was nearly destroyed and bombs had ripped open cages. Animals that were able to escape were eaten by predators or died from starvation, according to FOUR PAWS. The only known survivors were a lion named Simba and a bear named Lula, both suffering from many diseases caused by malnutrition and a lack of veterinary care, Khalil said.

“Humans can run, escape,” Khalil told ABC News in an interview Wednesday. “These animals don’t have the opportunity to escape.”

Simba and Lula’s cages were filled debris and the animals were sitting in their own feces and urine, Khalil said. The bear suffers from pneumonia. The lion has a joint condition and both had severe diarrhea and rotting teeth.

Khalil learned that Simba’s mother had recently died of starvation. Locals buried her in a grave next to his cage. Lula was a mother to bear cubs who also did not survive.

Most of the zoo’s owners and employees were either killed by ISIS or died in the crossfire of the operation to retake Mosul. Those who survived and remain in the area are wounded and have been unable to care for the zoo animals.

Local residents told Khalil they have tried to feed the animals whenever they could, but they don’t have the funds to purchase the necessary supplies nor the experience in caring for wild animals.

“I saw the neighbors tried to do their best,” Khalil said. “It was very sad.”

The locals were happy to see the zoo animals finally receiving the urgent care they needed and were eager to lend a hand to Khalil and his team.

“I think it was a message of hope and I saw everyone trying to help us,” he said. “It showed how far we could be humane or inhumane.”

This is not the first time Khalil has helped animals in a conflict and disaster zones. In fact, the 52-year-old Egyptian native is specifically trained to do so. Khalil saved animals at Libya’s Tripoli Zoo following the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Qaddafi and he rescued animals from Iraq’s Baghdad Zoo after the Gulf War.

“Those animals are coming last but for us it’s our first priority,” Khalil said.

In August 2016, Khalil and his rescue team evacuated all 15 remaining animals at Khan Younis Zoo, dubbed the “worst zoo in the world,” in the besieged Gaza Strip. After receiving veterinary attention, the animals were transported to sanctuaries in Jordan, South Africa and elsewhere.

But the situation at the Montazah al-Morour Zoo in Mosul was different than any other mission, Khalil said.

The deafening sounds of bombs and gunshots were heard nearby while Khalil and his team provided the animals with food and first aid. Though the area was no longer under ISIS control, the battlefield wasn’t far away and locals told Khalil that suspected militants would occasionally pass through the area at night.

“The smell of fear is there. People are afraid,” Khalil said. “I was scared, to be honest. It is a dangerous situation.”

Khalil and his FOUR PAWS team provided Simba and Lula with food and urgent veterinary care. They also cleaned their cages for the first time in months.

“It’s our responsibility as humans,” he said. “We cannot close our eyes.”

Before leaving Mosul, Khalil and his team trained local volunteers on how to care for the animals and left them with enough food and medicine for four weeks. Khalil hopes to return to Mosul soon with a long-term solution for Simba and Lula.

“You cannot seek care only for humans,” Khalil said. “Humanity cannot be divided. Kindness cannot be divided.”

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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