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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old lioness saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has received critical oral operation to remove a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on last week by 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 severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the dental issue was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

The expert explained that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported 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 large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

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 Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.