Rescued Ukrainian Lioness Undergoes Critical Dental Operation
A Wildlife Rescue Center
An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.
The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The procedure was performed on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He believed the infection was due to a injury sustained over twelve months back, causing germs creating harmful substances within the fang.
"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.
Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The rescue center said the extracted tooth 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 dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."
She said the team had spotted "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 toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," added Ms Smith.
The successful surgery marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.
