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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion saved from war-torn the war zone has received critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was performed on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, causing germs producing toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

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

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.