Leo’s operation, a 13-year-old lion

La Tanière is a shelter offering a roof to the animals resulting from the rescue. Today, the team of healers and veterinarians will try to save Leo, a 13-year-old lion and one of the first arrivals at the zoo-refuge. “Leo and Zampa (another lion) are two animals that we picked up in the depths of Spain, that we took any babies from their mothers, raised on a bottle, castrated babies, which is absolutely not necessary TO DO” says Patrick Violas, founder of La Tanière.

“Leo is a bit of an emblem of the Lair”

Stripped of its claws”by charlatans”, in order to be approached by tourists, his paws became infected with bacteria. The result: balls of calcification reduce the functionality of his spine and paralyze his rear end. The team has no choice but to operate on the animal in an attempt to save it. But the danger is high: “There is also a risk that we will make the decision not to wake him up if what we discover is too complicated.”, explains Patrick Violas.

A timed rescue

10:30 a.m., Leo receives a sedative injection, taking effect between 10 and 20 minutes, in order to facilitate his transport to the operating room. At 11 a.m., the preoperative time allows Norin Chai, a wildlife veterinarian, to intubate the animal, place the catheters to “stabilize all access routes, both venous and air, for anesthesia”.

Under the diagnosis of Pierre Moissonnier, veterinarian-neurosurgeon, Léo goes to the operating room for five hours. End of the intervention at 6 p.m. after six hours of maneuvers to save the life of this lion. Patrick Violas explains that “the operation went very well”. In three or four weeks, Leo should be back to normal life.