🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued 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 The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

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

He believed the infection was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to germs producing toxins within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

The expert explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

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

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, curator at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

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

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented the curator.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.