Saved Ukrainian Lion Undergoes Essential Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.
Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The procedure was performed on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.
The expert explained that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."
She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."
"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.
The successful surgery represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.
