🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed fang caused by an abscess.

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," stated the dentist.

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

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

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

The curator, manager at the facility, said the operation was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.