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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was caused by a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing germs creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said 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 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 facility, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."

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

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