Saved from Ukraine Lion Receives Critical Surgery

A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital dental surgery to remove a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure 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 right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria producing harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

The expert clarified that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported 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 large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, 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 observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable 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 represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.