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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the infection was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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 facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

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