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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure 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 right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He believed the infection was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said 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 large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

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

Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

She noted the team had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added the curator.

This vital operation represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.