Saved from Ukraine Lion Receives Essential Surgery
A Wildlife Rescue Center
An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.
Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The procedure was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs producing harmful substances within the fang.
"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.
The expert clarified that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success."
She said the staff had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."
"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.
This vital operation represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.
