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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received critical oral operation to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

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

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He believed the infection was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need 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 remove 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 also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the operation was a "complete success."

She said the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"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 coming days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.