The arrival of three South African lions at Abidjan zoo to replace those that starved to death during postelection violence in 2010-11 is a sign for many Ivorians that the country is getting back on its feet.

But the deadly unrest is still fresh in the mind of zookeeper Alexis Oulaye.

"The lions died under our watch because we didn't have any food to give them. They only eat meat. We ourselves had no food to eat back then," he said.