The starving lions in a zoo in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, whose photos caused an online outcry earlier this week, are now getting treatment, news agency Reuters reports.

A plea from the Sudan Wildlife Research Centre (SWRC), and an online campaign, have resulted in help arriving for the malnourished lions, it says.

One of the lions died earlier this week.

Conservationists from SWRC say the lions belong to a rare subspecies that are only found in areas near Sudan and Ethiopia.

It is unclear how many lions are left in the wild in Sudan.

Sudan is in the middle of an economic crisis which has led to soaring food prices and a shortage of foreign currency.