Parkies remove golf ball from Lioness' mouth

Safari park rangers had to perform “open-mouth surgery” on a lioness after realising she had a golf ball stuck in her teeth.

Five-year-old Whit was spotted somersaulting and writhing around at Knowsley Safari Park on Merseyside, UK.

Rangers followed the animal and saw the source of her distress was a golf ball speared on to one of her top fangs and stuck fast.

Park manager Dave Ross said: “She probably wasn’t in that much pain but she was extremely confused and frightened.

“The ball was speared right up as far as the gum and it wasn’t coming off. Her teeth aren’t razor sharp so it must have taken a lot of pressure to spear it like that.

“We had to sedate her with a tranquilliser gun and pull the ball off, which took some doing and was a real white-knuckle job.”

Whit rejoined her pride within hours of the op and was today said to be happy and healthy.

A spokesman from the park said of the golf ball: “We can only assume it has come from a visitor.”