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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He believed the infection was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth.

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

The expert clarified that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the operation was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

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