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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on last week 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 severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, causing germs creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She noted the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.