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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support 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 treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing germs creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented the curator.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.