Saved from Ukraine Lioness Receives Critical Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an abscess.
Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," said the dentist.
He thought the infection was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.
"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.
The expert clarified that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The rescue center said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.
The curator, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "total triumph."
She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."
"The lioness will be somewhat sore 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.
The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.
