Father of Lions by Louise Callaghan

Abu Laith dubbed the Father of Lions gave his life to keeping a ragtag little group of animals alive in a war zone. With the constant danger of shelling, ISIS, the animals being consumed for food, Laith and a handful of others, kept watch and found ways to take care of three lions, a bear and her cub, a handful of monkeys and birds. He also found a way to get them out of the Mosul Zoo even though it meant never seeing the lion cub he raised again. This is an amazing story of how an animal lover without a background in veterinary science kept these animals alive with courage and love.