Endangered lions make Kabul Zoo their new home - in pictures

But last month, the zoo’s director Abdul Aziz Saqib saw reports on social media that some rare white lions had been rescued in Spin Boldak, a town on the border with Pakistan in the war-prone Kandahar province.

‘The border police in Kandahar had captured an animal trafficker attempting to smuggle six young white African lions out of the country,’ Mr Saqib.

Four of the lions, dubbed the ‘Lions of Kandahar’, have made Kabul Zoo their new home.

They are being cared for by Qurban Ali, who has more than 15 years of experience working with lions and tigers in Pakistan and was brought to Kabul Zoo specially to care for them.

Four lion cubs have just arrived at Kabul Zoo after being rescued from smugglers. It has always been the dream of the zoo’s management to repopulate the wildlife park, especially with a wild cat or two.

All photos by Ivan Flores for The National