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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has received critical dental surgery to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria producing toxins within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.