Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Undergoes Critical Surgery

A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to germs producing toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

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

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

She noted the team had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.