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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, 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," stated Mr Kertesz.

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

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the operation was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "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 coming days," added the curator.

The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.