AKIPRESS.COM - The only surviving animals of Mosul zoo have been rescued from appalling conditions in the war-torn Iraqi city.

Simba the lion and Lula the bear were found abandoned at the privately-owned zoo in February, still in their cages and covered in dirt and excrement, BBC reported.

The charity Four Paws International came to their aid, and on Monday it flew them to a better life in Jordan.

Troops are trying to drive Islamic State militants out of Mosul, their last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Almost six months of fierce fighting has caused many civilian casualties, and hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes.