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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on last week by veterinary 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 damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing germs creating toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified 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 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

The curator, manager at the facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better 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.