ALEPPO, Syria — Suleiman, 26, turned his abandoned, isolated house with cracked walls and broken windows into a lively animal farm accommodating rabbits, ducks, chickens and pigeons. Each animal group has its own room and place, but they all share food and water on the patio.

Suleiman’s family left Tarik al-Bab neighborhood when the regime’s helicopters intensified their raids with barrel bombs. Suleiman stayed alone, and volunteered for relief work.

“This house has been abandoned for six months. I wanted to breathe some life into it to have fun during my free time. Most importantly, these animals will help if we were under siege. We learned our lesson from the inhabitants of Ghouta in Damascus,” he told Al-Monitor.

The remaining citizens of Aleppo’s rebel-held neighborhoods are facing high living costs and are suffering under regime air raids. But their hopes are still hanging on the battles raging in the north, specifically in Bureij and Handarat villages. With the slow and progressive advancement of the Syrian army in these villages, the concerns of the inhabitants are growing by the day, as they fear falling under the frightful siege.