Saved from Ukraine Lion Undergoes Essential Dental Operation
A Wildlife Rescue Center
A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.
Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The surgery was performed on last week by 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 damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He thought the dental issue was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.
The expert explained that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, 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 dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the operation was a "complete success."
She said the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."
"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials 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 major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.
