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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to remove a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing toxins within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success."

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."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.