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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang caused by an abscess.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a trauma experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She said the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented the curator.

The successful surgery represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.