Saved from Ukraine Lion Receives Essential Surgery

A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn Ukraine has received critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, curator at the facility, said the operation was a "complete success."

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

"Lira 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," added the curator.

The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.