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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn the war zone has received critical dental surgery to remove a badly decayed fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

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

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

He thought the dental issue was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to germs creating toxins within the fang.

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

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore 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.

The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.