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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to remove a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing germs producing toxins within the fang.

"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 explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, 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 represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.