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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.