Saved Ukrainian Lion Undergoes Critical Surgery

The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to remove a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

He thought the infection was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus 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 discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

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