🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the staff 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 initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.