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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

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

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, 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 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," added Ms Smith.

This vital operation represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.