Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Receives Essential Dental Operation
A Wildlife Rescue Center
An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.
The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Rescue Center
The procedure 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 thought the infection was caused by a trauma sustained over twelve months back, causing germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth.
"My philosophy is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.
The expert clarified that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary reported 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 root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, curator at the facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."
She said the staff had spotted "a minor swelling 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 toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added the curator.
This vital operation represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.