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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has received critical oral operation to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing germs producing toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

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 reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.