A Wildlife Rescue Center
An adolescent female lion saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang caused by an abscess.
Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," stated the dentist.
He believed the infection was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.
The expert 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 said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, curator at the facility, said the operation was a "total triumph."
She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling 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 infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.
The successful surgery represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.
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