Fangs A Lot: Persian Leopard In Tehran Zoo Gets His Bite Back

Rica, a 12-year-old male Persian leopard who lives at the Tehran Zoo, recently underwent what is believed to be the most complex dental surgery ever performed on such an animal, according to RFE/RL's Radio Farda. Over the course of two surgeries, a team of 12 doctors and nurses implanted gold crowns on both of Rica's two lower fangs after they broke and became infected. Rica is not only said to be recovering well after the surgeries but representatives from the zoo say they have found him a potential female partner. The Persian leopard is the largest leopard subspecies. It is native to northern Iran, eastern Turkey, the Caucasus mountains, southern Turkmenistan, and parts of western Afghanistan.