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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to remove a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out 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 right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria producing harmful substances inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

The expert clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

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

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

"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.