Saved from Ukraine Lioness Undergoes Critical Surgery
A Wildlife Rescue Center
A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital dental surgery to remove a severely infected fang caused by an abscess.
Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was performed on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.
He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.
The expert explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.
He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the operation was a "complete success."
She noted the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."
"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," added Ms Smith.
The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.
