Saved from Ukraine Lion Undergoes Essential Surgery
The Big Cat Sanctuary
An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.
The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was performed on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, 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," stated the dentist.
He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating harmful substances inside the tooth.
"My philosophy is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.
Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang 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, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "complete success."
She noted the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."
"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.
The successful surgery marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.
