Rescued Ukrainian Lioness Undergoes Critical Surgery
The Big Cat Sanctuary
An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.
The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The surgery was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.
He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs producing toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive 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 sanctuary said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the large wound 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, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "total triumph."
She noted the staff had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."
"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented the curator.
The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.
