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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated Mr Kertesz.

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

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

The expert explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.