Lion enclosures at Kabul Zoo have been empty for years, but this week four African lions, rescued from smugglers at Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar, took up residency.

Kabul Zoo's last lion was Marjan, who originally came from China but died three years ago after falling ill.

However, the new residents, seized by border police this week before being smuggled to Pakistan, are now settling in.

According to the head of Kabul Zoo, Azizgul Saqib, six lions had been held in small cages for a month before being found. Two are still in Kandahar.

The six lions are from Panthera leo origin which are South African... Investigations are underway in order to find out how and from where they came from, he added.

Aka Qurban, an employee at the zoo, said he wants to name one of the lions Marjan.

The lions were kept in small cages. Their paws were injured. They are happy here, he said.

More than 100 types of animals are kept at the zoo and over 1,000 people visit Kabul Zoo every day.