UPDATE 1-Conservationists try to save underfed lions in Sudanese wildlife park

Conservationists in Sudan are trying to save four lions they say have been underfed and neglected in a wildlife park in the southeast of the country, after one lion died earlier this week.

The emaciated lions belong to an important subspecies that exists only in limited areas including Sudan and Ethiopia, said Khalda Seliman Mahgoub of the Sudan Wildlife Research Centre. "Since this is a particular subspecies that we should preserve, I shouldn't see them in a cage. They should be in their natural habitat," said Mahgoub.

It was unclear exactly where the lions had come from but the cages in Dinder national park where they were being kept had been constricting their movement, she said. The lions are now being treated after a plea from the Sudan Wildlife Research Centre and an online campaign pointing out their plight.

Dinder park receives few tourists and little revenue. Sudan has suffered decades of internal conflict and international isolation, and was rocked by months of protests and a political uprising last year.