🔗 Share this article

The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to remove a severely infected fang caused by an infection.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the infection was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

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

She said the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"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 coming days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.