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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to remove a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing germs producing harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," added the curator.

This vital operation represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.