Paignton Zoo Lion Undergoes Dental Surgery
Indu the Asiatic lion has something to smile about after undergoing dental surgery to remove two teeth.
Indu the female lion is one of the most popular animals for visitors of Paignton Zoo and she is recovering well after undergoing extraction surgery. According to the curator of mammals and director of operations, Neil Bemment, the team believed that Indu chipped her teeth after biting down on something which appeared to be harder than expected. It was decided that Indu should have a dental examination to check for signs of damage, which was carried out by Peter Kertesz, a specialist vet who has treated a wide range of large animals, including gorillas and whales.
Peter said that although animals are different to humans, both need dental treatment when they experience dental pain and the only real difference is the scale of the operation. Treating large animals requires a lot of planning and teamwork.
Peter and his team, which included his dental nurse, Cat Bergzoll and Ghislaine Sayers who are vets at the zoo, Kelly Elford, a veterinary nurse and keepers, Helen Neighbour, Matt Webb and Mark Dainty.
The procedure, which took around two hours was performed when after the team had put Indu under general anaesthetic.
Peter started treating animals after he agreed to examine a cat for a vet back in the 1970’s; he has a London dental practice and has been working with zoos, including London Zoo, for several years.
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