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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical oral operation to remove a severely infected fang resulting from an abscess.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was performed on last week by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing germs creating harmful substances within the fang.

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

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close 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.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the operation was a "complete success."

She said 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 initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

This vital operation represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.