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The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after 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 surgery was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

He thought the infection was caused by a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs producing harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus 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.

The curator, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She said the staff had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be somewhat sore 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," added the curator.

This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.