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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received critical oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He believed the infection was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing germs creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.

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

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 significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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 procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the staff had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "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 next few days," commented the curator.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.