Zookeepers at the Brit Spaugh Zoo in Great Bend, Kansas sprang into action after Mumbasa the lion chipped a tooth Friday night.

They had 48 hours to act to save the tooth before it was taken out for good.

The zoo knew it was low on resources so it called a few Wichita friends to help out.

"We put together a team, and we put it together over a very short period of time, over the weekend so we'd be prepared on Monday morning to put the male tiger to sleep so that we could do the procedure," Veterinarian Dr. Mike Malone said.

The surgery went off without a hitch.

Mumbasa has a few groggy days of recovery out of him before he can claim his starring role at the zoo.

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