🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to remove a badly decayed fang caused by an abscess.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

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

She noted the staff had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore 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," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.