🔗 Share this article

A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

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

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He believed the infection was caused by 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 should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

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

She said the team had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," added the curator.

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