Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Undergoes Essential Dental Operation
A Wildlife Rescue Center
An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang caused by an infection.
Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was performed on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist.
He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing harmful substances within the fang.
"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.
The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth 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 noted the staff had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."
"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 coming days," commented Ms Smith.
This vital operation marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.
