Saved from Ukraine Lion Undergoes Critical Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an abscess.
Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated Mr Kertesz.
He thought the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to germs creating toxins within the fang.
"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he said.
Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.
He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."
She said the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" 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 removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added Ms Smith.
This vital operation marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.
