Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Undergoes Critical Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.
Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.
Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.
The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the operation was a "complete success."
She noted the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."
"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.
This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.
