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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received critical dental surgery to remove a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.

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

The Rescue Center

The surgery 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 immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing germs producing toxins within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted 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 noted the staff had observed "a small lump 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 toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.

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