Rescued from Ukraine Lion Receives Critical Surgery
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old female lion saved from war-torn the war zone has undergone critical oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.
The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The surgery was carried out on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.
He thought the dental issue was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing harmful substances within the fang.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.
Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.
He additionally conducted 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 operation was a "total triumph."
She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."
"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented the curator.
The successful surgery marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.