The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old lioness saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an infection.
The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.
He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.
"My philosophy is animal dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.
The expert clarified that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "complete success."
She noted the team had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."
"Lira 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 marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.
