Saved from Ukraine Lioness Receives Critical Dental Operation
A Wildlife Rescue Center
A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.
The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was carried out 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," stated Mr Kertesz.
He thought the infection was due to a trauma sustained over twelve months back, causing bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.
Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.
The curator, manager at the facility, declared the operation was a "total triumph."
She noted the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."
"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 the curator.
The successful surgery marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.
