A Lion Just Got a New Tooth From a Local Dentist After His Fang Chipped
A 385-pound lion got a tooth capped at a zoo in Melbourne, Australia, recently, in a procedure that required a team of 10 just to lift him onto the operating table.
According to a press release from the Melbourne Zoo, eight-year-old lion Zuberi needed a pulp capping to fix a chipped “big fang” that likely broke on a bone.
In footage provided by the zoo, specialist animal dentist Dr David Clarke said it was a “privilege” to perform the 30-minute operation on Zuberi, noting that it was easier to work on lions than house cats because of the size of their teeth – 10 centimeters (4 inches) in length compared to one centimeter for a domestic cat.
The blue mittens sported by Zuberi during the operation were knitted by volunteers to help keep him warm during the operation, Laura Weiner, the life science manager of the zoo added in the video.
The damaged tooth had been discovered by zookeepers during a training session, the press release said.