🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang caused by an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist.

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

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed 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 "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.