IRAQ
MUHAMMAD HAMED/REUTERS
Mosul, Iraq—Before the battle of Mosul began, the zoo in this city north of Baghdad was home to lions, bears and monkeys, among other animals. Soon, however, it became a redoubt for the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). At irst, locals tried to feed the animals, but as the ighting intensiied, that became too dangerous—and they struggled to ind food for themselves. On February 2, not long after Iraqi forces took control of the city’s eastern half, a volunteer group arrived to feed the animals. Only a lion and a bear remained. The rest had either escaped or starved to death in their cages.