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A Wildlife Rescue Center

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

Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

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

He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating toxins within the fang.

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

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

The curator, curator at the facility, said the operation was a "total triumph."

She said the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," added the curator.

This vital operation represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.