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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an abscess.

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

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained more than a year ago, causing germs producing harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

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

She said the staff had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.