🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

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

He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

The expert explained that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

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

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult 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 start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.

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