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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing germs producing harmful substances within the fang.

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

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

The curator, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

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

"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added Ms Smith.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.