Father of Lions: One Man´s Remarkable Quest to Save Mosul´s Zoo

The Bookseller of Kabul meets The Zookeeper´s Wife: an award-winning journalist puts a human face on life under ISIS, told through the prism of the Mosul zoo. After two and a half years of Isis occupation, and months of fighting between the militants and government forces, the Mosul Zoo was one of the few outdoor attractions still standing in Iraq’s second city, its inhabitants kept alive by Abu Laith, a square-set 50-something mechanic and passionate animal lover. As the animals began to starve under the siege by advancing Iraqi army forces, Abu Laith, the “Father of Lions” and his protégées and family risked their lives to keep the animals alive. When liberation finally came, the city and the zoo were both on their last legs. It seemed as if all was lost, until a local former-government scientist, Hakam, saw a message on Facebook about a zoo nearby: a charity in Switzerland wanted to rescue the animals.