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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

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

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted 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 staff had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.