Rescued Ukrainian Lioness Receives Essential Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
An adolescent female lion saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.
Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," said the dentist.
He thought the infection was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.
The expert explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."
She said the staff had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."
"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.
The successful surgery represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.
