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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

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

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the operation was a "total triumph."

She said the team 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 initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

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