Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Receives Essential Dental Operation
A Wildlife Rescue Center
A three-year-old female lion saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received critical oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess.
Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The surgery 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 right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.
He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth.
"My philosophy is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.
Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The rescue center reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
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, declared the operation was a "complete success."
She said the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."
"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented the curator.
This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.
