🔗 Share this article Saved Ukrainian Lion Undergoes Essential Dental Operation A Wildlife Rescue Center A lioness named Lira receiving essential dental care to extract a badly infected tooth A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection. Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions. The Big Cat Sanctuary Amani and Lira are two of the big cats from Ukraine that arrived in March The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats. "Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz. He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth. "The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he explained. The expert clarified that as Lira did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution." The Big Cat Sanctuary The removed fang measured 8 centimeters, equivalent to 3.14 inches The sanctuary said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening 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, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success." She said the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem." "The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," added the curator. The successful surgery represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.