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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

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

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, 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 Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.