🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone vital dental surgery to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

The expert clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, 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 impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.