Rescued Ukrainian Lion Receives Essential Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
An adolescent female lion saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received critical oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an infection.
Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was performed on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.
He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.
"My philosophy is animal dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.
The expert explained 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 extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.
The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."
She noted the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."
"Lira 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 Ms Smith.
This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.