🔗 Share this article Saved from Ukraine Lion Receives Critical Dental Operation The Big Cat Sanctuary Lira the lioness from The Big Cat Sanctuary undergoing critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected lower right canine tooth An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection. The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine. The Big Cat Sanctuary Two lions, Amani and Lira, were among the animals rescued from Ukraine and brought to the sanctuary The surgery was performed on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats. "Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz. He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained over twelve months back, leading to germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth. "My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said. Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution." The Big Cat Sanctuary Lira's extracted lower right canine tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures. He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue. The curator, curator at the facility, said the procedure was a "complete success." She said the staff had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was." "The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented the curator. The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.