SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The Hogle Zoo performed its first root canal on a leopard at its new veterinary facility today.
The new animal hospital hopes to gave the zoo's male leopard a new smile.
Zoo keepers noticed the tooth troubles when the cat's behavior indicated his tooth was cracked and partially missing.
Holly Braithwaite, Community Relations Coordinator for Utah's Hogle Zoo said, "We're are doing a dental procedure on our amur leopard, Vladamere, he is getting a root canal this morning. It's an exciting day and this is the first large procedure we have done here in our new animal hospital.
Because the tooth was still partly intact, the zoo staff decided a root canal was a better solution than leaving the meat-eater without a canine tooth.
