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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, manager at the facility, said the operation was a "complete success."

She noted the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.