Rescued from Ukraine Lion Receives Essential Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to remove a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.
Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was carried out on last week by veterinary 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," said Mr Kertesz.
He believed the infection was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.
"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.
Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.
The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "total triumph."
She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."
"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.
This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.