🔗 Share this article Saved from Ukraine Lioness Receives Essential Dental Operation The Big Cat Sanctuary A lioness named Lira receiving essential dental care to extract a badly infected tooth A three-year-old lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has received vital oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess. Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions. 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 Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines. "When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," stated the dentist. He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang. "The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said. Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution." The Big Cat Sanctuary The removed fang measured 8 centimeters, equivalent to 3.14 inches The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches. He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected. Briony Smith, manager at the facility, declared the operation was a "complete success." She noted the team 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 begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented the curator. The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.