A graphic picture has emerged which appears to show Syrian rebels so desperate for food they have killed and butchered a lion.
Parts of Damascus have been under siege by the Syrian army for more than six months, causing food to become scarce as winter draws near.
The picture, which has not been independently verified, appears to show a visibly emaciated lion.
It is though to have been captured from Al-Qarya al-Shama Zoo, in east Ghouta.
Last month, clerics issued a fatwa, or religious order which allowed staving Syrians to eat cats and dogs if food supplies became desperate. . .