SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A male Amur leopard at Utah's Hogle Zoo will get a high-tech root canal to fix a cracked, partially missing tooth.
Zoo officials say the procedure is scheduled for Saturday at the new L.S. Skaggs Animal Health Center.
Zookeepers first noticed 6-year-old Vladamere's tooth trouble during regular training. Veterinarians decided on the root canal - rather than extraction - because the tooth is partially intact.
Vladamere will also get a filling that will allow him to retain a working canine tooth.
Amur leopards are among the world's most endangered cat species.
Native to far eastern Russia, the cats have lost much of their habitat to logging and uncontrolled fires. Fewer than 40 leopards are left in the wild. About 70 are in North American zoos.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
