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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"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.

The expert clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"Lira 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 coming days," commented Ms Smith.

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