Saved from Ukraine Lion Receives Essential Surgery
A Wildlife Rescue Center
A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang resulting from an abscess.
The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.
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 immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He thought the infection was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.
The expert clarified that as Lira did not need 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 the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
The curator, manager at the facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."
She said the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."
"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 next few days," added the curator.
This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.
