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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated Mr Kertesz.

He believed the infection was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

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

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.